


Sillybug Adventures

by Jaded_nobody



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Reverse Crush (Miraculous Ladybug)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:40:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25586086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaded_nobody/pseuds/Jaded_nobody
Summary: In one world Marinette Dupain-Cheng had helped her father prepare the day's croissants before finding a pair of ladybug themed earrings. In this one she cleaned the dining room with her mother before finding the earrings.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 18
Kudos: 87





	1. Prologue

Adrien was a model. He posed and poised himself for trade. He was born a model. When the camera is away, he still has poses he needs to do. His mind and emotions contorted to meet his father’s whims: the ideal obedient son, who always excels at his orders.

Adrien wanted freedom. He felt repressed, maybe that was why he loved anime so much, the over the top characters provided a catharsis. The blonde’s entire personality was repressed, longing to burst free.

The night he found the ring with a little snarky cat god telling him he was a superhero it was the happiest night of his life. It was straight out of an American comic book. When he was informed he had a partner, even better. A wise cracking pun spewing super hero with a feisty partner; Adrien’s face nearly split in two in excitement.

He found the confidence to stand his ground with his father, demanding to be allowed to attend school. A superhero who will fight magical supervillains should be a normal student by day, it was only appropriate. His father, realizing Adrien wasn’t backing down, acquiesced. Gabriel might not have been willing to die on that hill, whatever the reason he was allowed to go to public school provided it was Chloe’s school- which Adrien was ashamed to find he had mixed feelings on.

There were two paths for Adrien to go down his first day at school. On one path he arrives at school frazzled and nervous, accidentally coming to odds with one Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Kim created the first Akuma in Paris when he mercilessly teases Ivan. Chat Noir comes across one overwhelmed Ladybug, falls in love with her, and saves the day for the first time. He makes his first friend in years with Nino, before clearing the air with Marinette.

That path held exactly the adventure and role Adrien had envisioned for himself. A comic light-hearted adventurer who evoked Ladybug’s amusement with the occasional eye roll. Unfortunately for Adrien, he rarely got what he wanted. He would later reflect it was only consistent with his life up until then that even Chat Noir was another pose he had to do.

Adrien’s true path was much different. He was turned to it by one small action from the aforementioned Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The slightest nudge by the wind can cause your voyage to arrive in another part of the world altogether. 

Marinette had stayed up the night leading to her first day in school. In Adrien’s desired path she simply found herself crashing to sleep in exhaustion; Marinette had instead stayed up all night talking to Tikki about every feature of her power, she had been drilled her entire life to be responsible and felt like she had to be on top of things. Marinette would wake up much later than she would have, so much later she didn’t even bother racing out the door to make it to school.

Sabine Cheng would find her daughter in bed crying. Marinette, choked up being informed the fate of Paris rested on her shoulders, would invent Chloe as the sole cause of her breakdown. She would sob to her mother how she knew she would end up in Chloe’s class to only be humiliated and isolated from the rest of her class, how she felt she had nobody who understood her beyond what she was useful for.

Marinette would be consoled by her mother, who knew she could only grit her teeth in silent rage against the mayor’s daughter, who would allow her to skip for today. 

After being left to rest up Tikki would rush out and reassume her reassurances. The kwami would tell Marinette that she didn’t need to take on so much by herself, that being Ladybug was liberating for so many of her past holders. Tikki would spend the time telling stories to Marinette of how countless girls used the mantle of Ladybug to enjoy the thrill of freedom from prevailing patriarchal power structures. Marinette would listen on, feeling lighter and lighter. 

Marinette, exhausted from crying, would pledge herself to one decision- maybe the first selfish one in her life. Marinette Dupain-Cheng would be responsible and hardworking towards her friends, family, and community. Ladybug would be her own entity, whoever the black cat was would be charged with the responsibility of heroics. She would follow his lead unquestionably to make up for it, she added as an afterthought to justify her declaration. 

Adrien would settle in at school, unaware that the role he pinned for was stolen out from under him. Chloe would rub up against him, literally, making him so visibly uncomfortable that nearly the entire class realized their initial expectations of him were wrong. Nino would approach Adrien quicker this time, given there was no episode with Marinette making him wary. Nino would find himself instantly charmed by the blonde model; when he introduced him to the other guys in class they all realized how fun the boy they assumed to be an entitled rich brat, like Chloe, would actually be. Ivan would be too distracted to pine over Mylene too much and Kim wouldn’t be bored enough to tease him over it due to these developments. 

Come lunch is where Adrien’s day would take a sudden drop again. 

“Adrikins! Come!” Adrien felt himself involuntarily bristle at being called like a dog. “I already know this great restaurant we can go to. Daddy and I were invited to its grand opening not too long ago, so I know it’s good.” She gave Adrien a slight smirk of self-satisfaction. 

“Actually,” Adrien abashedly rubbed the back of his head,” I made plans with Nino.”

“What!?” Adrien would have flinched if he wasn’t used to Chloe’s sudden tantrums. He had seen first hand she developed the habit knowing it would get her what she wanted, she learned to restrain those impulses around him knowing how uneasy it was for him to witness. “That two-bit wannabe DJ is beneath you. Only the, thankfully absent, scattered brain Dupain-Cheng would be worse.” Chloe stomped her foot in frustration. 

Chloe would catch her breath to realize Sabrina was pointedly looking away. She would notice the rest of the class didn’t even bother looking. Adrien just simply looked at her.

Her blonde friend would then walk off to meet up with Nino. 

Sabrina would try to coax Chloe out of her sudden stupor. The mayor’s daughter wouldn’t bother processing her lackey’s words, simply staring at the spot Adrien was. 

Her childhood with Adrien came flashing back. The early days when they played together everyday would shine bright culminating in their promise to marry when they become grown-ups. However, as the years went by she saw the mansion less and less. Her texts would go days before Adrien replied. Her friend would claim to be busy with modelling on days she pretended to not know he was free. Their conversations became increasingly one sided as he simply listened to her ramble on about whatever bothered her, yet he still listened to her intently no matter how petty it was.

The occasions they met at galas with their fathers soon became the bulk of their interactions.

Chloe would realize Adrien hadn’t been her friend in years. She simply stopped being worthy of him. 

The mayor’s daughter envisioned her first day back at school with Adrien would end in triumph. She would revel in his company, the two of them would lay above their plebeian classmates. Her annoying rival Dupain-Cheng would be reminded of her place. The two would stroll out of school holding hands while Sabrina followed behind holding their bags.

Never did she imagine herself sitting in a bathroom stall sobbing her eyes out. When she caught sight of an ultraviolet butterfly, she felt suddenly soothed.

Adrien would feel nothing but his stomach drop. When alerts came of some sort of superhuman rampaging through the streets of Paris he thought his time had finally come; only to realize it was Chloe. The sight of someone he knew under Hawk Moth’s thrall quickly made his boiling blood ice. Any taunt or boast was quickly forgotten.

Chloe, no matter what, was his first friend. She at least kept him from being completely alone after his mother’s death. Hawk Moth had used their fight to turn her into his weapon. Any humor he had left turned into rage. Chat Noir quickly shook that thought away, though. He was going to make things right, he suddenly found himself wondering why he wasted his time compiling a list of feline based puns. 

Why did he do that? He suddenly didn’t know.

All he knew was that he had to take another pose to save his friend. He was back on the clock.


	2. First battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The foundation is always defines what's built after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there is interest in this concept I will continue, probably as a series of shorts. This was inspired by siderealsandman's sillybug! au.

“Chat Noir! I am Hive Queen, give me your miraculous!” Hive Queen, formerly Chloe, pointed a wrist stinger right at him. 

Queen Hive clearly a queen bee aesthetic. Her top and skirt was yellow with jagged black stripes. Her sleeves ended wrapped around two bee-like stingers jutting out of her wrist. Her leggings and heels betrayed a mobility that was truly that of a bee. Adrien remembered Chloe being able to run after him in heels when they were eleven year olds playing tag. He tried on a pair once to imitate her only to twist his ankle.

“Ch- Hive Queen,” Chat Noir caught himself from a fatal mistake. “I don’t know why you are doing this but Hawk Moth is using you. Whatever you think you stand to gain is a lie.”

“No, I am already getting it.” 

It took his newfound feline reflexes to dodge the dart. 

“I wasn’t aiming for you.” Hive Queen grinned at him.

Chat Noir saw Sabrina writhing in pain; the girl had probably ran to help her nominal friend. A light flashed over her. She rose up clad in a full body black suit with yellow stripes, a bee shaped helmet covering her head. Her first had knuckle brass worked into them, her shoes had morphed into boots; Chat Noir guessed she was something akin to a drone.

“You are surrounded.” Chat looked to adjacent rooftops and finally noticed the figures in identical clothing Sabrina was now in. “I will induct every person in Paris to my hive. Everyone will be my worker drone. Then no one will come between me and Adrien.” She snapped her finger.

Three figures shot themselves straight down towards Chat Noir. They treated their bodies as projectiles, arrowing straight at him. Chat Noir hurled himself back while using his batons to balance himself. Sabrina lunged after him, dedicated her entire body to delivering a blow. The hero twisted his hip to dodge and wrapped his arms around her. He used his magically increased strength to propel Sabrina at the remaining goons.

Two went down but the biggest one charged at him. Chat Noir was tackled to the ground and soon constricted by a pair of thick arms. Chat involuntarily gasped at the face behind the visor: Kim. The remaining three figures hurried at him. 

Chat Noir squeezed his eyes shut as he raced to break free of Kim’s grasp in time.

Something audibly cracked before a body hit the floor. “Five on one is not fair. That’s bullying, stop before I call the teachers,” a teasing voice said. Chat Noir saw the source of the voice,a girl, catch her yoyo back in her hand. Sabrina lay motionless on the ground.

Chat Noir knew this could only be one person: Ladybug, his partner. Her body suit was black at the arms and legs. Her mask was white when black outlined around the eyes. The torso was bright scarlet red with black ladybug polka dots. Her shoulders were draped in a shawl which clung closely behind her; the fabric was colored to resemble real ladybug wings and even stiffened in their shape. 

The feline hero twisted out of Kim’s grasp. He hit his former classmate in the head so hard his baton rebound carried him back a step. A twinge of guilt flared but he suppressed it. 

“Get their miraculous!” Queen Hive pointed her finger at them like a gun. 

Ladybug flicked her wrist, her yoyo wrapped around the two remaining goons: Max and Rose. Chat Noir momentarily gaped when the shawl flared up like a real wing when Ladybug shifted her stance, clear cuticles emerged to help stabilize the heroine. The cat themed hero shook his head and bolted at the remaining low level mobs; his batons did the rest of the work. 

“Why are you running! I thought you liked attention!” Queen Hive abandoned her henchman without a second thought. 

“I assume you’re Ladybug.” Chat Noir crossed his arms, appraising the giggling heroine. 

“I would hope so or my clothes are really out of season,” Ladybug replied. “Are you Chat Noir or just a furry? Or both?” she asked jokingly. 

“Please take this seriously,” Chat said. His mind was still reeling over the fact the bad guy he had been eager to beat up was Chloe. “Will these kids be okay if we leave them here. Does your powerset cover all the damages.”

“You’re very domineering with your women aren’t you?” Chat said nothing, waiting for a real response. “They’ll be fine. My miraculous cure fixes all, it’s all in the handbook.” She gesticulated her casualness. 

_ Not another Chloe _ , Chat internally groaned. He really didn’t want a flirtatious lackadaisical female partner. 

“So the girl,” Ladybug tiptoed around the disposed henchmen in a parody of dance. “What got her expensive panties in a twist? Or is it just that time of the month for her?” She grinned again.

Chat’s jaw dropped. “Are girls allowed to make those kinds of jokes?” His face burned red.

“No,” she answered. “Only women.” She rested her hands on her hips in mock victory.

“I picked up that a new student enrolled in her class, a boy she knew,” Chat answered, brushing her previous comment aside. “He apparently spent his time talking to other classmates, befriending one; She didn’t like it when he wanted to spend time with him instead.” Chat Noir forced his voice to be neutral.

“Jealous and insecure.” Chat Noir briefly considered arguing. “Let’s go save her.” Ladybug shot her yoyo out like a grappling hook. She pulled on it as though it were a fishing net, but she went flying into the air instead. 

“Why do you get to fly!” Chat quickly caught up to her with his superior speed and agility. 

Chat Noir wasn’t sure if his partner was gliding or flying but she clearly had working wings; Ladybug was angling her descent towards a fleeing Hive Queen. The villainess had made out into Paris and was shooting everyone she could find. A small mob was soon charging them to protect their mistress. 

They were charging him at least, Ladybug still had enough air left to zip over them. He brought his batons together in frustration. He swept the goons up in his bow’s arcs. Many had their brains rattled by pokes from his staff. The few that kept coming he hit with powerful batting blows. 

It seems Chat Noir was faster as he never lost sight of Ladybug, the traffic of low level baddies were probably the only thing keeping him from passing her. For her part, Ladybug constantly discharged her yoyo at the fiends below her. Chat Noir also concluded Ladybug could only glide as she was gradually losing height in the air. She came landing feet first kicking the drones hoping to intercept her.

“We’ll find ourselves fighting all of Paris before we get to her.” Chat dispatched any foes who came close while Ladybug spun her yoyo over head to give them some breathing room. “As long as she keeps her distance and spams us with her drones she wins.” They weren’t feeling tired yet but who knows how long that would last?

“My power is good luck and your’s is bad luck. Right?” Chat Noir confirmed. “It would be so much easier if I could just summon forth a mcguffin to win the day for us,” she sighed. “I’ll draw her fire, you hide in the shadows. Wait for the right moment when she chases me.”

Chat wanted to ask for clarification but was cut off by her shouts. “HIVE QUEEN IS THE BIGGEST BITCH IN PARIS!!!” Chat’s feline hearing caused him to flinch. He saw Ladybug, disturbingly, looked bizarrely satisfied with herself. “CHLOE RIGHT, THE MAYOR’S DAUGHTER!!! YOUR MAMA AND THE FAMILY BUTLER WERE SO HAPPY YOU DIDN'T RESEMBLE THE REAL FATHER!!! NO ONE LIKES YOU, IS IT ANY WONDER THAT BOY DIDN’T WANT TO SEE YOU!!!” 

Chat Noir and Ladybug had knocked out the last few drones before he turned to her. “Do you really think that will-” He was cut off by a screeching war cry. Sure enough, Hive Queen was coming in from the distance. There were only two harried drones struggling to match pace with her. Ladybug gave her partner a wink, before shifting out of the way of a slash.

“To slow,” Ladybug taunted as she deftly touched a series of slashes from the villainess. “You may sting like a bee but you clearly don’t float like a butterfly.” 

Chat Noir ducked a tackle from a drone. He delivered an uppercut to the jaw of the second when he tried to tackle. He moved in an arc to rap the recovering goon but was stopped mid motion, the second recovered. The second drone tried to pull his staff away; his strength wasn’t up to par, however it was enough to distract. 

The first drone trapped Chat Noir in a choke hold, clenching his elbow tight. His comrade didn’t waste any time in punishing Chat Noir, raining his fists down on his ribs. Chat Noir couldn’t scream in agony, the wind was knocked clean out of him. He squirmed in desperation, trying to summon any will to get out. When he felt the arm vanish he didn’t stop to question it, his right came crashing down hard on his attacker’s chin. The moment he hit the pavement Chat Noir performed a back kick towards his restrainer, he felt his foot connect. 

Chat Noir finally screamed when he saw his downed attacker. His arm was gone.

“God.” He sank down, clutching his temples. He performed his breathing technique (they were prescribed for modelling, not combat, but it was the best he had) slowing his erratic heart. He felt something beep. Plagg did mention that after using his power he would need to transform. Chat Noir has the power to destroy and Ladybug to create.

Ladybug was still in the midst of dancing around an enraged Hive Queen; her wings flaring behind her with every step. He took the opportunity to slink away to an innocuous corner. 

“This isn’t as fun as I thought it would be,” Adrien said to Plagg after reverting back.

“Give it a while. It never is fun punching people when you know them, right? Beating up bad guys is so much better when you don't have to think of them as people.” Plagg enjoyed his cheese. Adrien simply wondered how Plagg meant to be interpreted. 

Chat Noir rushed back into the fray.

“That mini skirt does nothing for your ass,” Ladybug stuck her tongue out. “Don’t even get me started on how flat you are.” The dart came a hair from landing this time.

_ She isn't like Chloe, just annoying _ . 

“Chloe, this will change nothing. I ran into Adrien and he’s worried about you.” 

That made Hive Queen pause, only for a mask to be outlined in neon light across her face.

“The guardian sent Children to fight me?” An older male voice came sneering out of Chloe’s lips. “Give me your miraculous and go home.”

“Will you trade us for some candy, mister?” Ladybug proffered her hands and beamed her eyes wide at him.

“Hawk Moth,” Chat Noir growled. “You should be ashamed of yourself for preying on people’s weaknesses, release this girl and turn yourself in.”

“Her entire character is a weakness,” Ladybug muttered under her breath. 

“The Guardian is responsible for what happens to you, not me,” Hawk Moth proclaimed before the mask vanished from Hive Queen.

“I-” Hive Queen was rudely interrupted by Ladybug’s sudden slap across the face. 

“That was meant for your Hawk Daddy,” Ladybug called over her shoulder as she ran off. 

Chat Noir imagined his life as a hero would be epic battles, a contest of wits, daring adventures. It turned out being a hero was having to catch up to your homicidal brainwashed friend while she is chasing your ridiculous partner, who is laughing hysterically the entire time. Chat Noir would also wonder later that when Ladybug broke off the sidewalk onto the street causing Hive Queen’s high heels getting stuck on a storm drain snapping her ankle out when she tried to follow if it was dumb luck or careful planning. 

Ladybug spun on her heel; a net flashed into existence in her hands. She quickly cast it onto the Akuma before leaping on her to hold her down; Ladybug didn’t pull any punches, literally pounding her fist on the villainess. Chat Noir added his weight on top of Hive Queen.

“The Akuma has to be in the stinger. She might have been wearing a bracelet.” Adrien knew for a fact Chloe had been wearing one that morning.

The duo each reach through the net to tear at her stinger. Ladybug’s luck came through again, a gasp escaped Hive Queen’s lips before a nauseous purple cloud formed; a purple butterfly emerged into the air.

“Fun time’s over.” Ladybug wrapped the butterfly up in her yoyo. A burst of light escaped and all traces of combat were removed from the scenery. 

“Ugh,” a grunt came from the net. “What happened?”

“Usual white girl hysterics,” Ladybug answered her. She ignored Chat’s irked expression. “Up you go,” She pulled the net off and Chloe roughly to her feet; the mayor’s daughter would have fallen if not for Chat Noir’s intervention. “Later,” She grabbed Chat’s hand leading him away.

“You couldn't have been a little gentler?”

“Next time,” she offered. “This was fun, let’s do it again kitty?” She gave him another wink before propelling herself gliding back into the air.

_ She’s not annoying. Just insane. _


	3. Drawing the Square

**“Chloe Bourgeois’s superhuman rampage thwarted by Super Heroes?”**

**“Paris hosting the plot of a Comic book.”**

**“What was the cause of the Mayor’s Daughter developing superpowers?”**

**“Damages undone by heroes-”**

Adrien switched his TV off; he had suffered enough of the news to understand the current sentiments. No one knew what was going on and they wanted answers- that was understandable. 

“How do I get in touch with Ladybug?” Adrien asked the gouging Kwami.

Plagg swallowed his last bit of camembert. “Your weapons have a built in communicator, you could even access the web with them.” The cat god licked his paws.

“Ancient magic can mimic modern tech?”

“The magic gives you everything you need to function as heroes. In this era, from what I’ve seen, without a phone you don’t exist.”

“Fair enough,” he conceded. “Do they work out of costume.”

“Nope,” Plagg answered. “Why do you need to get in touch with Ladybug anyway?”

“We should probably explain to Paris what’s going on. It would give us the necessary social purchase to do our jobs without worrying about civilian interference.” Adrien took stock of the words that had just come out of his mouth. Civilian- that distinction was so fun for heroes to have in comics. “I’ll just talk to her after school. I can let myself be seen running the rooftops of Paris, she should come find me.”

“If there isn’t another Akuma attack before then,” Plagg pointed out.

Adrien sighed. “We should get burner phones to stay in touch out of costume.” Adrien was starting to see why Batman had Alfred. 

Nathalie briefed him on his schedule for the day. A relaxing shower and tasty breakfast massaged his stress away. The Gorilla shadowed him to the limousine, standard procedure for any departure out of the mansion. The abnormal part was when he was dropped off in front of the school; Adrien marveled at what he knew was mundane for many kids his age. 

Adrien felt a spike of sensation when he saw someone waiting for him up the steps.

“Are you okay?” Chloe’s physical injuries were treated, but he doubted the miraculous cure quelled PTSD. 

“Can we talk privately?” Her voice was soft and tired.

“Lead the way.”

“So,” Adrien began as he sat on the bench he was led to,” what exactly happened to you?” He asked to deflect his secret and provide Chloe with catharsis. 

“I don’t know. This girl dressed up as a Ladybug said ‘typical white girl problems’ before running off with a boy dressed up like a cat.” Adrien internally swore, Ladybug couldn’t have been a little gentler. “I do remember my rampage.” Chloe’s eyes were cast down. “Apparently a wizard used my negative emotions to make me into his evil champion to steal jewelry from cosplayers.” Chloe chuckled. 

“We aren’t really friends are we,” Chloe looked right at him.

“Y- yes we are.” He took Chloe’s hand. “Chlo you were-”

“The only viable option for companionship your dad would allow?” Chloe asked rhetorically. 

Adrien flinched, he struggled for a refutation but Chloe cut him off.

“I’m sorry for trying to sabotage your chance to make real friends.”

“We are real friends,” Adrien’s voice flared. “I don’t approve of everything we don’t see our friendship as obligatory. You also keep me sane by reminding me I don’t have to live my life at my father’s discretion.”

Chloe closed her eyes before steeling herself up with a breath. “There’s something you don’t know about me that’ll change your tune. You probably won’t be surprised to hear it.” 

“Nothing you say-”

“I’m the class alpha bitch,” Chloe confessed. “The rest of the class can’t stand me and I don’t really stand me. Sabrina is the exception; she is not my friend just a lackey.”

Adrien wasn’t surprised to hear that. He always knew Chloe was a little  _ elitist  _ around people she considered beneath her. The way people looked at him when he walked in with Chloe wasn’t exactly warm, either.

“Chloe,” he said softly. “You were my first friend. You are still me friend. You will always be my friend.” Adrien saw Chloe’s eyes water.

“From what I can gather you are mistreating Sabrina,” Chloe held back a sob. “She still considers you a friend. I heard she came running in looking for you when she heard you were in trouble.” Chloe openly sobbed. Adrien wrapped his arms around her as she leaned into his shoulder.

“I-I’m hor-horible.” Adrien could feel Chloe’s tears seep into his skin.

“Then stop.” Chloe stilled, glancing up at him.”I won’t lie that the way you try to force me into what you want irk me. I don’t need to or want to know what you did to the class. I remember you mentioning a Marinette though.”

“She’s in our class; she was absent yesterday,” Chloe replied quickly.

“You bullied her in particular, didn’t you?” Chloe didn’t meet his eye.

“Chlo,” he gently called her old nickname,” can you promise me something.” 

“What?”

“Start listening to me. Treat Sabrina like a real friend. Stop being mean to the class. Keep the old saying,’if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything nice at all,’ in mind.”

“I promise,” Chloe said into his chest. She slowly pulled herself away from him. “Go to class, I don’t want to keep you from your friends anymore.”

Adrien considered staying but decided against it. When he reached the class he tapped on Sabrina’s desk.

“Can you do me a favor and make sure Chloe is all right?” He said to her awkwardly. 

“Sure,” she didn’t dawdle.

Adrien saw a raven haired girl who definitely wasn’t in class yesterday: Marinette. The girl was talking to Alya about the heroes. Alya seemed to enjoy having someone listen to her theories; he vaguely remembered her talking about her aspiration to be a journalist in the class introductions yesterday. 

“Can I talk to you,” he said hesitantly to Marinete. “You are Marinette right?”

“Yes,” she said unsurely. She looked at him curiously but told Alya they would resume their discussion on the possible E.T. origins of the heroes shortly.

“I’m the new student. Adrien Agreste,” he began. Adrien was taken aback by the shock look on her face.

“Are you the son of Gabriel Agreste?” Marinette whispered.

“Yes.”

“He’s my biggest hero. I want to be a fashion designer one day.” Marinette’s eyes were star glazed. She noticed his unease.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Chloe mentioned you,” he admitted. Adrien didn’t miss how her smile fell.

“I’m sorry for what she did to you. Whatever it was, I don’t have the detail, I personally apologize for. She won’t harass you anymore, I promise, so please don’t hold a grudge.”

“It’s fine,” she waved him off. “Me and Chloe have known eachother since elementary school. Her treatment is- well, it's a new year.” Adrien’s heart panged at her stutter. “Thank you for apologizing.”

“Don’t mention it.” Adrien didn’t want her first impression on him to be completely defined by Chloe. “You were lucky to be absent yesterday, the school turned into a war zone. The school board almost shut down school today.”

“I heard,” her smile returned. “What do you think happened?”

“I heard an evil wizard is on the loose.”

Marinette giggled. It wasn’t like Chloe’s snooty laugh or Ladybug’s annoying chuckle. This was a cute girl’s giggle, he felt oddly refreshed hearing it. The way her nose scrunched up made him feel snuggly warm. The mirth she had was infectious. 

“You’re funny.” 

“Th- thanks.” Adrien felt his face flush. “Go back to your friend,” he said; Adrien didn’t want to accidentally dash any goodwill he got.

Marinette gave him a very feminine smile as a parting gift.

Adrien felt a hand land on his shoulder. “Marinette, huh?” Nino gave him an approving thumbs up.

“I was just greeting her.”

Nino scoffed at that. “There’s no shame in it. Many guys had a crush on her at least once.”

“Then why doesn’t she have a boyfriend?”

“Oh, Marinette was always a little socially awkward so she had a habit of unintentionally brushing people off. There was also Chloe-” Nino trailed off, suddenly unsure.

“It’s fine. Chloe told me everything. She isn’t going to be doing that anymore.” 

“Ah, then that was a factor too. People were weary to get close since that meant coming under the blonde princess’s ire.”

“I hope you were okay during what happened yesterday,” Adrien changed the subject.

“Oh, that. My mom came to rescue me during the incident.”

“That’s what people are calling it?”

“What should they call it?” An akuma attack, but Adrien shouldn’t have that terminology.

“We never exchanged numbers. Can we do that after class?” Adrien asked hopefully.

“Sure man.” The DJ gave him another thumbs up. Adrien was idly aware that his father wasn’t going to like Nino; that was a fight he was prepared to have. Hopefully, his father would realize forbidding time with Nino would be an effective threat, giving Gabriel a reason to tolerate him.

Adrien felt someone harshly brush by him returning to his seat. He saw it was Ivan, who gave him a remorseful look that was quickly buried under an angry expression. The model returned to his seat only to see Kim watching the processions with a smirk on his face.

At lunch break he was excited to finally get to eat with Nino.

“I got some great tunes for us to listen to, bro.” Adrien felt himself smile, he’s never been called bro before.

“You’re jams better be-” 

**“KIIIIIIIMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!”**

Nino and Adrien froze. 

“I’m going to call my driver to pick me up.”

“I’m going to call my mom. Let’s evacuate.”

“I should go find Chloe,” Adrien lied.

“Stay safe man.” Nino ran off.

Adrien ducked into some shrubbery for cover. Chat Noir quickly emerged out, sprinting towards danger. He leapt back into the courtyard. His sharp feline eyes spotted Kim desperately running for dear life. 

“Don’t struggle,” Chat Noir scooped Kim into a bridal carry. The jock grasped onto him like a security blanket. Chat caught sight of a large hulking humanoid figure carved out of stone smashing his way through the school. The sight vanished when the feline hero dashed out of sight and hearing range. 

“Go home! Or go somewhere that thing wouldn’t look for you at!” Chat Noir left Kim to his own devices to return to battle.

“Hey kitty!” Ladybug came gliding along to his sprinting form. 

“We should probably stick around to talk to the media after this.”

“I don’t think we’ve practiced our routine enough.”

_ Something feels backwards. _

“Make sure you stay safe.”

“Worried about moi?” Ladybug purred.

“Of course, you’re my partner. That means we are friends. We could die together, we are in this together.” Chat Noir wouldn’t notice, but Ladybug looked at him with a stunned expression. Ladybug could hear her own thumping heart over the wind.


	4. The End of the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment. I could use some critique to see what I am doing wrong. If I don't get comments soon I can only assume this work isn't being well recieved.

“Why are you smiling so much?” Chat Noir deftly pulled Ladybug to her feet. The duo use their agility to swerve around a charging stone heart.

“Aren’t women supposed to smile?” They ducked under a fistful of scooped up pavement bulleted at them.

“Not when they are in a mortal kombat.” Ladybug started humming the Mortal Kombat battle theme. Chat Noir pulled them behind a school corner for cover. “He’s too big to knock down. Any more crazy ideas?” 

Ladybug kept humming to himself. “Why hasn’t he opened his right fist once?”

Chat blinked. “You don’t think that’s where the Akuma is, do you?”

“That’s exactly where I think the Akuma is, kitty.”

“What’s the plan,” Chat Noir smirked back at her.

Stoneheart was an Akuma born from the most primal of rage. When the duo he instinctively knew were a priority vanished, he instantly returned to finding Kim to rip him limb from limb. The creature had knowledge of where his prey might be similar to how a wolf knows where elk are likely to roam. Stoneheart didn’t set out to destroy, but any structures or vehicles he trampled through he paid no mind too.

As he was stomping through the streets of Paris, a sharp prodding poke thumped his head. He turned to see Chat Noir running along the rooftops adjacent to him with his staff extended out. Stoneheart’s focus returned to Chat Noir with renewed ferocity. 

Chat Noir had the power of bad luck. The probability it would focus on either him or his opponent varied, one of the reasons why the Ladybug and Black Cat fought together was to hopefully nullify the times their lucks didn’t line up right. This time however, Chat Noir’s bad luck stuck right on Stone Heart. As the goliath reached for the staff poking at him but the road came round a bend. Chat Noir safely absconded away while the villain crashed into a house; he was unharmed but obviously lost sight of the fight. 

Stoneheart angrily forced his way through the house, much to the trauma of it’s married occupants, to find Chat Noir again. It twisted right and left for the hero. Stoneheart didn’t find him until he felt the feline hero land on his back, twisting his arms around his neck in a chokehold. Stoneheart simply bent his knees deep; he unwound them jumping straight over and into a grocery store.

Chat Noir struggled to hold on for dear life. When they landed in a produce station he felt himself be bounced off by the landing; his skull bounded off the tiling. 

“Don’t worry everything will be fixed soon,” Chat groaned to a shocked cashier.

Chat felt a car crash into his sides before he crashed out of the window back onto the streets. Ladybug was by him in an instant looking pale for the first time in the fight. She immediately fussed over him.

“Are you okay!” She flinched with him when she touched his ribs. 

“In a minute I will be,” Chat Noir answered. “He’s more mobile than we thought. Good thing I took this hit.”

“How could it be  _ good _ you took that hit?”

“Without you Paris can’t be put back together,” Chat Noir pointed out. “My male pride couldn’t allow a girl to be the one taking the hits either,” he confessed while blushing. Years of reading anime and manga where the hero always saves the girl can’t be erased overnight, even after having to fight Chloe. He added, possibly, an even cheesier afterthought. “Most importantly we are partners, we shouldn’t let eachother take hits.”

Ladybug looked at Chat Noir with an appraising expression.

“Can you use your power to carve a deep hole in the ground?” Chat Noir’s ears perked up.

Stoneheart was slow to regain speed. He punched the front of the store out of his way. Chat Noir was prone on the ground. A purple mask lit up on his face.

“Seize Chat Noir’s miraculous. Now!” Stoneheart moved.

An entity powered by rage might be unyielding to any pain, plowing forward. They often fail to notice tiny, seemingly insignificant details. The fact that the path before Chat Noir had a towel laid out was beyond Stoneheart’s notice, it wouldn’t be any deterrent to him. Stoneheart felt the ground suddenly disappear beneath his feet; the towel fell down with him into a hole waist deep. His massive weight caused the fall to briefly rattle him. 

Chat Noir had enough time to fly from his prone position. In his hand was his baton with an ever thin black bungee cord wire wrapped around. He shot under the shaking goliath’s arm, backflipping over the arm before shooting back out again. 

“We got him!” The feline hero called out at a tree. 

Ladybug glided down from it east. Chat sprinted as hard as he could west. 

Ladybug felt the wire growing taut on her end so sprang her yoyo, which had the ends of the cord tied around her yoyo string- she made a mental note to thank her parents for sending her to camp. Her yoyo wrapped a distant hot red fire hydrant. She grabbed on with both ends to pull herself forward.

Chat Noir felt his end grow just as taught. He had luckily managed to sneak through a gap in between facing the office building. He had combined his batons to hyper extend his staff parallel along the backs of the office complexes. His knuckles gripped on tight, the flesh going white underneath.

Stoneheart felt the pressure constrict around his closed fist like a snake. His first instinct was to try to shake the cord off- that was exactly what Ladybug hoped for. The sudden pull by Stoneheart’s herculean strength only tightened the cord so much that his fist finally opened.

“I can see a note! Let go!” Chat’s feline ears had no problem picking up his partner’s shout.

Stoneheart couldn’t turn his head in time to register Chat Noir launching his foot at him while clutching a shrunken staff. The inertia carrying the hero was enough to rock Stoneheart off balance. Ladybug, while not being the quickest of the two, abandoned her yoyo to flash towards the note.

She just barely grabbed it before Stoneheart could dizzily probe for it. When she felt the paper in her hand she tore it in two. 

“ **NOOO!!!”**

“Fun time’s over.” Ladybug wrapped the butterfly up in her yoyo. A burst of light escaped and all traces of combat were removed from the scenery. 

“Ughhh,” Ivan groaned in pain, unaware of Chat Noir pulling him out of the divet in the ground.

“You okay? Why were you angry?” 

Ivan collapsed to the ground crying. Ladybug and Chat Noir rushed to his side. 

“It’s okay. None of this was your fault,” Ladybug hushed.

“I was going to kill Kim just because he mocked me for not being able to give a girl I like a love note.” Ivan buried his head firmly under his arms.

“Well on the bright side you know he’ll never do that again,” She joked, morosely. Kim and Chat Noir couldn’t help but laugh at the truth.

“We got to go,” Chat referred to their beeping timers. “Meet me back at the school.”

“Sure. We’ve played hooky long enough.” Ladybug gave Ivan a pat on the back before breaking.

The duo met in the restored school courtyard. Any sign this was a magical war zone was completely gone.

“It seems you really are this city’s good luck.”

“And you’re my sin,” Ladybug flicked his bell. Chat Noir felt a wave of heat travel down his skin.

“The media; we should only tell them the bare basics of what the city needs to know. Hawkmoth is an evil terrorist who has the power to evilize people into doing his bidding by consuming a person with negative emotion.”

“That’s fine,” Ladybug said offhandedly. “Should we tell the city we’re dating?”

Chat just smiled queasily. “The only thing the media needs to know is that we are tasked with bringing him in, we just need to plead with people to trust us to handle this issue.”

“I see you dodged the question,” she sighed.

“Because we aren’t dating,” he said bluntly. 

“We could change that.” Ladybug trailed a finger down his chest- until Chat Noir snatched it. “Too far?”

“Yes.” Chloe just started keeping her hands off him. He wasn’t having this conversation again.

“It’s a good thing I have my feminine wiles to entice you.” Ladybug pushed her chest out, emphasizing her breast. Chat Noir mind malfunctioned at the brazen attitude he didn’t think possible from a girl. “You are certainly fine. What the suit doesn’t hide makes me want to see what it does.”

“I think we should keep things professional.” Chat Noir tried to get his blood to not flow down.

“Professionally speaking I am your lady.” She leaned back on her hands. “My Lord.” Ladybug purred.

“Let’s go give our announcement,” Chat Noir squeaked. The feline hero rushed off to the Eiffel Tower to attract reporters. Ladybug followed behind all smiles.


	5. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akuma attacks are now the reality in Paris for the long term future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please everyone reading comment. If you feel the need to Kudo then comment. If it's something you think it dull still do it. Every comment, whether praise or critique, fills me with excitement since I know people are actively engaging.

Adrien waited on the school steps for the Gorilla. Chloe and Nino each offered to take him home but he had to turn them down. His father would be annoyed to have his return home not be under his control. The blonde model was beginning to regret his decision as the day’s panic created a traffic jam in the streets; this was in part caused by the swarm of reporters who were still at the Eiffel Tower hoping the heroes would return. The media was quicker to send agents to question the heroes faster than even Adrien Agreste thought they would. Chat Noir gave them a quick summary of the story they decided on, with Ladybug making some quips, before they ran off, promising future Q&A sessions.

His phone buzzed.  _ Can you just meet me here: _ Map directions followed the Gorilla’s instructions. Adrien stretched up; he was sore, it’s been a packed day. It struck him suddenly that he forgot to broach the subject of burner phones with Ladybug, he seized his temple in frustration.

Adrien was sure it was destiny that he was meant to be the Avatar of Bad Luck. The clouds in the sky bursted water. It was pouring, but it wasn’t just a drizzle. Adrien readied himself to run, stopping only at shade.

“Hey,” a soft voice broke his concentration. Marinette looked rather amused by his sprint start. “Need an umbrella,” she proffered the one she was holding.

“I- I couldn’t.” He tried to wave the umbrella back.

“Take it,” she insisted, which Adrien reluctantly did. “Consider it my gratitude.”

“But I didn’t do anything for you,” Adrien pointed out.

“Yes you did.” She paused to seemingly let him accept that. “Chloe has bullied me for years. It crippled for social life at school- I couldn’t let myself truly befriend anyone out of the fear that was instilled in me. Soon, it just became an eventuality as mundane as the rain Chloe would pick on me. I thought it would be like that forever.” Adrien felt his heart pang for Marinette and a headache for Chloe.

“It kind of caused me to miss school yesterday because I wanted to delay the start of her new campaign against me,” she admitted. “I decided, though, that today I was going to stand up for myself. Me and Alya hit it off, she proclaimed herself my BFF.” Marinette smiled. “I was prepared to stand up to Chloe, finally. That was when a blonde haired boy apologized for her actions and promised to stop it from happening again. And Chloe ignored me all day.”

“. . . I am Chloe’s friend.” There was nothing he could do about that. “I am truly sorry for what happened, and I swear it won’t happen again, but you really shouldn’t be thanking me.”

“Why not? I never thought I would get an apology for what happened, even indirectly, and you swore to stop it. That’s something the faculty and my parents never did or could do.” Adrien didn’t know what to say.

He couldn’t say anything. Marinette Dupain-Cheng simultaneously made him feel like more of a hero and less of a hero than saving Paris and fighting Chloe ever did. She didn’t view him in any malice what so ever or dismiss him as inconsequential. Marinette’s quiet grace was absolutely enticing. He wanted to stay like this, to observe her a little more.

“I better get going. Trust me, I’ve done this more than you.” Marinette walked off down the steps, the rain coating her like fine clothing. Adrien watched her go intently.

“Dupain-Cheng, huh?” Adrien was broken out of his stupor by Chloe walking out of the school building. “She does make great sweets. Her nice girl persona is desirable for some men,” Chloe said, a little bitterly.

“What is it Chloe?” Adrien didn’t bother hiding his annoyance. He didn’t feel the responsibility to be so patient after Marinette’s tale.

“I had something to talk to you about but I saw Dupain-Cheng and had to wait. Ask her out by the way, there’s no way she would say no. You better not be stereotypically awkward about it either.”

“Chloe,” he sighed. “I need to go.”

“Can I ask you a quick question first?” Chloe's neck twisted in every direction to scan.

“Sure.”

“There’s no one else here right?”

“No,” he said brusquely. 

Chloe bit her lip, suddenly unsure. “Are you Chat Noir?”

“Why would you think that,” Adrien said too quickly.

Chloe meticulously listed each point. “Chat Noir seemed personally concerned about me, which is misplaced since I have a reputation as a bitch. He knew about what ak-akumatized me, which I never really told anyone but maybe he could have run into you or someone in class could have figured out. Yesterday, you knew Sabrina rushed to come find me, she didn’t tell anyone that.” 

Chloe couldn’t know. Ladybug was supposed to be the first person who knows and Plagg warned that initially the Black Cat and Ladybug couldn’t know the truth. Chloe was also the worst person to ask. Adrien couldn’t lie to her, obfuscate yes, but she knew him too well and he wasn’t a good liar to begin with.

Despite Adrien’s best effort, he couldn’t keep the fright out of his eyes and his face was splitting in a conspicuous smile. “I’m not Chat Noir,” Adrien sputtered.

Chloe looked him dead in the eye. “Okay,” she shrugged her shoulders. “By the way, if you need to run off to hangout with Nino I can help you come up with excuses; your dad wouldn’t be so keen with you running with him. Don’t worry, we’re friends, so I’ll help you slip away no questions asked.”

Adrien dumbly thanked her. She bought that, right?

“Oh,” she added,” I meant what I said. You better not be an awkward stuttering romcom mc around Dupain-Chen. I won’t let you,” Chloe pointed her finger at him. Adrien gulped, he greatly empathized with the years Marinette spent being terrorized. 

Adrien came home to the mansion that same day; his schedule was cleared after the second supernatural attack and their announcement to the press. He searched the web: the initial shock had faded away. People were split between thinking it’s so cool Paris has real life superheroes and thinking it’s so frightening Paris has a real life supervillain. Adrien stumbled upon something that caught his eye.

The Miraculog. It was an infant blog that claimed to be for documenting the heroes and discussing everything related to them. Adrien found the name of the blog’s creator most fascinating: Alya Cesaire.

Having an aspiring journalist so close dedicated to learning everything about his alter ego might not be good. Alya, from what he could gather from afar, seemed to be a very zealous person about her interest; in the event she discovered any reason to suspect him he would have someone actively investigating him. Adrien found his appreciation for Chloe suddenly revived.

“So kid? What now?” Plagg came to rest on his shoulder.

“We can only wait for the next Akuma attack. I should get a burner to give to Ladybug.”

“You humans and your technology. You should have stopped after you invented cheese, if you ask me.”

“Yeah, I’m not too keen on living in an agrarian society that hasn’t even reached the bronze age.” Adrien also couldn’t imagine an existence without anime.

“So can I perform purification?” Adrien initially didn’t ask too many clarifying questions. He was so excited to be a hero; he forgot to read the term and conditions before checking yes.

“Yes, but the effects wouldn’t be good.”

“Paris would remain destroyed?” Adrien guessed.

“No, even worse. Paris would suffer a series of catastrophic accidents. Storm, landslides, buildings crumbling, people dying of illness and injury, any conceivable disaster really.”

“What!?” Adrien really should have read the terms and conditions.

“The black cat represents bad luck and destruction. What did you expect?” 

“So Ladybug should always be the one to purify.” 

“Obviously,” Plagg said. “Her version of that power is Miraculous Cure. Your version would be Catastrophic Decay. If we are ever up against a dictator then you can use it.”

“Hopefully, I don’t have to use it.” Adrien remarked.

Adrien was left to his own devices after dinner with orders to study. He obviously did that but didn’t retire afterwards like ordered.

_ Hey Nino _ . Adrien texted his friend.

A reply soon came.  _ sup?  _

_ What’s Marinette like? _

_ Awesome. Do you need a wingman? _

Adrien was curious what that would be like.  _ No. I just would like to befriend her. She hangs out with Alya, right? _

_ That girl. Yeah, I talked to her. She’s foxy. I actually ended up dating her during the akama attack today _

_ It’s Akuma. How did that happen?  _ Adrien corrected.

_ ^Akuma.  _ Nino self corrected.  _ You know what they say, adrenaline is a great aphrodisiac.  _ Nino inserted a kissing emoji.

_ Good luck. _

_ Hey, if you date Marinette we could be a pair of pairs. _

_ Can a man express interest in a girl without having those kinds of intentions? _

  
  


_ I don’t know. But Marinette is huge fan of your dad, so you got that in your corner. Along with good looks, fame, brains, and most importantly me _

_ What would I do without you? _

_ Hope she sunk to your level man _

_ I saw Alya created a blog about the heroes. _

_ Yeah, she said she is going to find them herself.  _ Adrien really hoped Chloe came through on her promise.

_ Cool. So Marinette? _

_ Back to her for a guy who claimed to not have a crush _

_ I never claimed I didn’t have a crush. _

_ Touche. Her parents run a bakery. Stop by it some time if you want to see her.  _ Nino texted the place. Dupain-Cheng Bakery. He might very well stop by

_ Oh you won’t believe what just happened. _

_ What? _

_ Ladybug has been spotted running around Paris looking for Chat Noir.  _ Nino texted a link to the Miraculog with the post.

“It’s better than waiting for the next attack to talk about those burners.” Adrien said to Plagg.

Ladybug didn’t dwell far from her last spotting. It might have been the magic bond between their miraculous or maybe his heightened senses but he found her trail pretty quickly.

“Kitty,” she was cooing to the streets below.

“You aren’t a lady who likes to wait, I take it.” Chat Noir dropped in her path.

“I’m afraid not, my lord.” Chat Noir internally winced at the address, but he wasn’t going to tell an undeniably beautiful girl to stop that. “I wanted to see you again.”

“I did too,” he said. He realized what she meant so quickly added,” I wanted to get us burner phones. So we can communicate out of costume.”

“Your first gift to me?” She teased.

“First of many,” Chat Noir decided to play along. “I like to show my friends my affection.”

“Am I really a good friend?” She escalated.

“The only one I fight supervillains with.”

“Ooh, I must warn you that I fight aliens with some of my other friends.”

Chat scoffed. “Everyone does that.”

“I only want to do certain things with you, my lord.” Ladybug purred at him.

Maybe Chat Noir went too far, he didn’t want to lead her on. “I don’t think you should call me that,” he finally objected. “People will get the wrong idea and you should have more respect for yourself.”

“People can get any idea they want. They should remember I repair the city, so they have no right to hold me to any opinion. I am your lady, am I not?” She dramatically leaned back against the railing. “Don’t worry about me, I wouldn’t say this to any boy. Do  _ you _ want me to stop?”

Chat Noir didn’t want to begin to answer that for emotions he needed a decade to even try to unwrap. “We should probably find some time to practice together. It’s probably not good to only dust off our suits for combat.”

“True. I live under the creed practice and practice. It’s what mommy and daddy taught me.”

“I can get the phones soon; by tomorrow in fact.” He knew his father and Nathalie kept a few for the darker aspects of the business they didn’t want on public record.

“It’s a date, my lord.” Adrien focused on Marinette. It’s better for this lust to be redirected from a girl he was supposed to be saving Paris from, not, well. . . 

“I can’t return your feelings,” Chat Noir declared. “We shouldn’t complicate our partnership, especially so early on. Hawkmoth needs to take priority. I do think you are funny and pretty,” Ladybug’s eyes lit up,” but you are the more important one of us. Without you Paris doesn’t get fixed and so far you’ve come up with the plans that stop the Akumas.”

“So what you are saying is I have until Hawkmoth is defeated to show you the bounty awaiting you. A handsome lord should have a beautiful lady.” Ladybug shook her hips comically. “We could rule Paris together- you and I,” she cackled.

Chat Noir wondered who selected them. He wasn’t sure if that person loved him or hated him- or both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the subject of Ladybug- a part of her persona was also inspired by the fic: Ladybug Star of Bethlehem- some might say she goes a little too far. Does she really? I said this before but Marinette in some ways was even more repressed than Adrien, she is forced to push her own needs aside for everyone, often time by her own will which is even stronger than external pressures. She is clearly taking to her freedom- for once she also gets to dump being the responsible one on someone else, don't forget that- and enjoying the reactions she can invoke from the first boy she ever fell for. Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste, who is a model for a reason after all. She does respect limits- when she touched him in the last battle she stopped immediately when she realized it made him uncomfortable.


	6. That girl named Marinette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far I'm torn between whether to make this a series of snippets or try to actually write an over arching plot for this. I couldn't do worse than Thomas Astruc if I tried the latter.

_ whatcha doing bae _ , read the usual text from Ladybug. The burner phones were supposed to be for emergencies but Ladybug just used it to talk his ear off. Technically, it was good for them to connect more; the phones were made with the expressed purpose of communicating out of costume. Her texts were usually sending him whatever funny memes, jokes or pop culture minutiae struck her. 

Adrien would be lying if he didn’t deny Ladybug’s text didn’t always brighten his days, sometimes he texted first. The times he wasn’t in the mood he just put off responding and Ladybug never spammed him. She never called him either- there was an unspoken understanding that calls are for actual emergencies- so there wasn’t the worry of either of them hearing their non cloaked voice. That probably wouldn’t help him find her but it could definitely identify him: a famous celebrity.

_ Nothing much. I was just planning on visiting a friend. _

_ did you read that fanfiction on us I sent you? _

It had been over a week and a few more Akuma attacks since Stoneheart. They gave some additional comments to the press regarding the situation. Strangely enough, Paris quickly accepted their new reality as a setting to superheroics. They soon forgot Ladybug and Chat Noir were a recent development, Akuma attacks became as mundane as rain.

The duo were quick to get a devoted fanbase. Alya’s Miraculog became the most trusted site in Paris for any content on their heroes. Alya’s foresight in being the first site running and genuine passion made it the de facto capital for all their fans on the web. It was primarily for news and discussion on their exploits; however, there was a collection of fan creation on them- fanfiction and fanart mostly.

The story in particular she sent him was a romantic story on them- that was the genre of most of the stories and art- where Ladybug and Chat Noir were becoming a couple. The story was notable for incorporating that Ladybug and Chat Noir had taken on the characteristics of their respective animal motifs. Chat Noir had a love for pets, laser pointers, and pets while Ladybug needed warmth and loved greenery. 

_ Yeah. . . never try to pet me. But if you have a craving for leaves I’d be more than happy to get you your fix. _

_ oh please. the first fix is free to get me hooked so you can take all my money _

_ I don’t really need it. Aren’t you obligated to offer everything up to your lord in tribute? _

_ the same way you need to cherish your lady _

_ I’m preoccupied. We’ll have to continue this later.  _ Ladybug sent him a thumbs up emoji in response.

Adrien waited outside the bakery for Nino. Nino had offered to escort him to the bakery to try out a few of the Dupain-Cheng sweets. He swore that they were the best bakery in all of Paris. Adrien rarely got to eat out- every calorie needed to be tracked by his father’s nutritionist- Chloe was kind enough to tell his father they would be hanging out today.

The blonde model had a lot of patience, years of constant reshoots on set tended to develop a strong endurance, but he texted Nino after nearly half an hour to see where he was.

_ I forgot that I got a date with Alya today. sorry man.  _ Adrien could picture that sly conspiratorial look on Nino’s face right now. 

_ What happened to bros before you know.  _ Adrien had the filters of a disney movie- he physically couldn’t swear. Also he didn’t want to risk getting into a fight with Nino and didn’t want to insult Alya. 

_ dude that’s a myth  _ Adrien wanted to argue but found he really couldn’t. 

_ I’ll keep this in mind.  _ Adrien texted ominously.

_ really? then forget about me and go talk to Marinette _ Adrien internally swore. He fell for Nino’s deception a second time.

Adrien felt a little awkward about just going in- Chloe’s words came back to him, he knew she would move. The blonde model decided to just go in and buy something. If Marinette was there he would greet her, if not he would mention he was a classmate and leave his regards. Sure enough there was Marinette at the front desk with a woman nearby who was obviously her mother.

“Hi Marinette.” Adrien waved at her, with a smile restrained by bashfulness.

“Friend of yours?” Sabine whispered to her daughter. 

“Oh yeah, that’s Adrien. I told you about him. He’s a new student.” There was a suspicious light in Sabine’s eye before she vanished into the back.

“Are you busy?” 

Marinette considered the statement. “No. You are the only one in line,” she pointed out.

“Do you have any cookies?” Adrien ploughed on. “I have quite the sweet tooth with not many opportunities to indulge.”

“Sure,” she offered. “Wait a moment.” 

Marinette was back out in a flash. She handed him a plain white bag which was warm to the touch. The smell of chocolate came flowing out; the smell was delicious. Adrien tried one on the spot- it was the best cookie he ever had. He was tempted too gorge himself on all of them.

“How much?” Marinette could have named any price and he would feel he was being undercharged.

“It’s on the house,” she insisted.

“No,” he replied automatically. “There’s no way I can give you nothing for this.”

“It’s fine. I sometimes eat some of the store’s leftovers; consider it a gift. My parents always give some of my classmates free food the first time they come.”

“Is it to get them hooked?”

“They always do come back.”

“That’s unnecessary. My patronage has been secured for life.”

“You really do like your sweets,” Marinette commented. Adrien felt himself blush for his childish display.

“Let me ask one last time. Is there nothing I can give you for this?”

“No we’re friends.” Adrien felt his heart stop, for two contradictory reasons. “It’s fine. Take them.”

“Okay, these are free. But I didn’t say I wouldn’t get anything else.” Marinette smiled at his slyness. “A baguette. I’ll eat it with the cookies.”

“You have quite the appetite for snacks.”

“I’m pretty active.”

“Modelling is hard work,” she queried with an eyebrow.

“I also fence,” Adrien defended. He could have defended modelling is indeed hard work but complaining about the lighting and long posing times would give her an impression he disliked.

“Are you any good?” Marinette leaned on the counter.

“My instructor said I have the potential to make it to the Olympics,” he boasted.

“Beauty and brawn,” Marinetted said. “Do you have any brains to complete the dish?”

“I was in the 90th percentile on the physics SATs.” Adrien felt proud saying that to her.

“And they say the perfect man doesn’t exist.”

“I’m not perfect,” Adrien countered.

“You’re much closer than the rest of us.”

“What about you? You did say that you were a fan of my father.” Marinette seemed to be quite talented from what Nino had told him.

“She is only going to be the best fashion designer ever,” a booming voice cut in. It was Thomas Dupain here to fulfill a dad’s sacred duty of embarrassing his daughter.

“Oh my god,” she flushed but still smiled. “Go back inside dad,” Marinette pushed the man who Adrien knew could give the Gorilla a run for his money back inside the kitchen.

“I’ll get you your baguette,” Marinette turned back to Adrien. “I should probably get back to work. It was fun talking to you.”

As Adrien walked along the Parisian streets browsing, Plagg came out when he noticed there was no one around.

“I always hate it when the kittens get smitten,” he groaned. Adrien took a bite out of the baguette. It was buttery and toasty. “You aren’t going to argue?” Plagg knew at this age they usually did.

“You are right,” Adrien simply said. “I don’t know about love but I certainly do have a crush on Marinette. It’s as you, Nino, and Chloe think.” Plagg just shrugged at Adrien’s proclamation.

Adrien liked how quiet, pretty, kind, and hardworking Marinette was. She was like Cinderlla working hard in the shadow of her evil step sisters- he loved disney, watching their movies was one of the few things his entire family ever did together. Chloe was too much like a sister to him. Ladybug was fun, if a little much, to hangout with but she was far too crazy for him to live with full time.

Adrien texted Nino.

_ So what does the services of the wingman look like? _


	7. Brainstorming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the first planned chapter of this story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to sit down and write notes to give this story a plot.

“Please don’t tell me you plan to do nothing but buy pastries from her?” Chloe held her finger out for Sabrina to apply a fresh pain of nail gloss. “You’re going to break out into hives if you do nothing but stress and walk away with snacks to binge on.”

“Is it possible for Adrien Agreste to get a zit?” Sabrina couldn’t recall a single occasion when Adrien wasn’t pristine with glossy skin and silky hair; she knew he didn’t put any effort into his appearance beyond what he needed.

“Bros,” Nino cackled. “My boy is Adonis reborn. It’s a law of the universe that Adrien Agreste is always looking fly.”

“That slang is ten years dead, Lahiffe. Which means it’s centuries old.” 

“Pffftt, I’m closer to the streets, princess.” Nino retorted.

“With your expensive headphones and beanie. I know money when I see it.”

“That is the only thing you do know.” Sabrina made a silent o. 

Adrien knew, but couldn’t believe, this was good fun between friends. Adrien still didn’t know how Chloe and Nino became friends.

At the beginning of the year Chloe kept her distance, helping Adrien meet up with Nino without the snooping nose of his father interfering. She did eventually start calling him and dropping by to say hello; she made it a point to greet Nino too, in order to drop her guise of superiority. 

They started talking and surprised each other by laughing at a roast Chloe made of Adrien together. One thing led to another, primarily Nino realizing Chloe was covering for them, and it didn’t become unusual for Adrien, Nino, Chloe, and Sabrina to be seen hanging out together. Adrien thought it was great- until he realized Nino and Chloe united wasn’t always the best outcome for him.

Ironically, a particular saying came to mind: “When the rat and the cat agree, the grocer is ruined.” Nino and Chloe joined forces to rib Adrien over his crush on Marinette.

“I’m working my way there,” he defended. “Nino, you and I hangout with her. My trips to the bakery let me get to know her parents; knowing the parents is a huge leg up.”

“If that was true then Juliet would have married Paris,” Chloe scoffed.

“Yeah, if you know the parents then that makes you family. No one wants to date family, man. It’s why Chloe lost.”

It was a true testament to Chloe’s new temperament she didn’t have an onipit right there and then, she just glowered at him. 

“Says the guy who got rejected by Marinette,” Sabrina countered, not looking up from her task; Adrien was prompted to stare at Nino in shock, and sympathy.

“It was last year,” he explained. “I just asked if we could go on a date sometime.” 

“Pfffft,” Chloe nearly spat. “”You should have been there to see the look on his face, Adrien. The self confidence was approaching levels of smug even I didn’t possess back then.”

“Daddy was always the first thing that came out of your mouth when you wanted something.”

“Fair enough,” Chloe conceded. “We still agree that Adrien is a total simp. Right?” Adrien was increasingly sure Chloe was spending too much time with Nino.

“Don’t say that about my boy,” Nino protested. “For years you were his only option for someone to talk to that wasn’t a talking suit.”

“Adrien is a lot braver than you think. So he still has no excuse,” Chloe said knowingly. 

“I know you are supportive of me and I thank you,” Adrien cut in. “It’s simply what Nino said, I’ve never done this before.”

“Best approach is always just to leap in. You know that first hand, otherwise you wouldn’t be at school.”

“If I do this poorly then it means things between me and Marinette will be awkward.”

“They’re certainly awkward now or this discussion wouldn’t be happening,” Sabrina whistled.

“We keep hitting an impasse.” Chloe declared. She gently retrieved her hand from Sabrina. “Nino, rise.”

“Why?” Nino still rose.

“Since you think I’m a princess then I'm going to act like one.” Chloe lined herself up with the boy. “Kneel,” Chloe said straight-faced. Nino looked to Adrien; Adrien had no doubts the friendship bubbling between them was genuine when he actually did it. 

“Do you swear to always carry our clueless prince towards his waiting damsel?”

“Yes,” Nino’s hesitation evaporated.

“Will you always step in to remind our prince of his manhood?” Adrien’s face flushed and he knew Sabrina giggled.

“Yes.” Nino had a steely conviction Adrien never heard in his voice hither. 

“Do you swear to slap his butt into gear if need be?”

“Yes.”

“When the coupling begins will you not rest until it is solidified?”

“Yes, I swear my princess.” Nino bowed his head like a real knight.

“Then rise. Rise as our prince’s sworn brother.” Nino rose proudly, as if he really accomplished something. “All the kingdom’s resources are at your disposal for this mission.” Chloe trotted off with Sabrina quickly following.

“Let’s go,” Nino said with determination. He grabbed Adrien’s sleeve to lead him along.

“What just happened?” 

“I dedicated myself to an oath.” 

Adrien initially feared Nino was going to drag him straight to Marinette.

“Sunshine? Baby?” Alya was curious to see a bold Nino dragging a reluctant Adrien along.

Nino regaled his sacred quest to her. “Chloe has bequeathed me with the honor of securing Adrien’s lover. I petition you to join me in my cause.”

“On my honor, I thank you for the privilege.” Adrien wondered if he was the crazy one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review, it gives me motivation to keep doing this.


	8. Diagonal lines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, I need to know how this is being received. The plot is going to really start ramping up going forward

“Aren’t you getting tired of this?” Adrien was being led by the wrist by Nino, again.

“Don’t give up. Marinette hasn’t turned you down; until then, the game is still on.” Alya was busy texting on her phone. Adrien prepared himself for the fifth attempt to win Marinette’s heart. 

At this point, Adrien was convinced he was destined to be the Black Cat- his luck was about right for it. He almost just wanted Marinette to flatly turn him down- it would end all this needless anxiety. Adrien would have been inclined to believe that they were being subtly turned down but given Marinette’s character and his usual fortune he believed Alya’s mantra.

All previous four attempts to ask out Marinette had ended inconclusively. 

On the first attempt he was full of nerves. Alya had arranged things so Marinette and the rest of “the girls” would be out only for them to all go home early- Marinette would be the only one left and decided to stay to try out that great ice cream everyone raved on about- when Adrien would suddenly pop up. The blonde model was initially full of trepidation.

However, with each word the stuttering stopped. He found his conviction- he threw away the speech he prepared beforehand going freestyle. 

“You are really kind. I’m surprised how quick you were to make bygones with Chloe,” these were the first words Adrien said unscripted. He initially panicked but Marinette didn’t react badly, visibly at least. 

“It’s in the past,” Marinette enjoyed her ice cream in such a hypnotizing fashion- No! Adrien shook himself out of his reverie. 

“I’ve never had any many friends before coming here. Before I came here I didn’t even get to go enjoy movies with a group of friends, I almost thought that only happens in anime. I also never had a girlfriend-”

That was the moment an Akuma attacked- obviously.

Attempt number two (or operation “Men do the heavy lifting for their Women”) when she actually fell down the stairs. It was as he was getting to his confession; his arms were full and he had no way of grabbing her even if he had noticed. Marinette landed on her rear, much to both their discomfort.

Number three was. . . definitely not the charm.

His last attempt ended when Marinette got a text from her mother about an Akuma attack in the area and ran home. Adrien was surprised- he had checked his phone for any alerts but didn’t see any. When he was beginning to wonder if he had been ditched it actually rang. It was even in the area of the bakery; Ladybug was already there fighting it.

“You ready?” Nino patted him on the back.

“Yes,” he breathed. 

“What’s the plan again?”

“I have no idea what your plan is,” he admitted to Alya. “I wasn’t paying attention. My plan is to walk in there and just ask Marinette out without any preamble.”

“Rea-really?” Adrien was expecting outraged but was hurt to see shock on her face. He could be daring.

“Mad respect my boy,” Nino gave him thumbs up. “Go in there and conquer.”

Adrien made his way for the school. Marinette would be in the classroom; she asked the teacher permission to clean it to save the janitor time and to give them a clean environment. The blonde wasn’t going to do this a sixth time. He would walk out of that room with a date or a rejection.

If she turned him down it would be awkward for a while but things would return to normal eventually. The real issue is if she accepted him. . . 

Adrien mulled over how he would have even more responsibilities if Marinette became his girlfriend; his brow dampened. He tried to break himself from his catastrophizing but failed. A well placed roar did the job.

“Marinette!” Adrien ran.

He considered transforming into Chat, but for Chat to have suddenly appeared in school would raise too many questions- that could be answered with cameras- and running somewhere discreet would take too much time. Adrien needed to get Marinette to safety and get out.

His luck came around the corner in the form of the Akuma. This one wasn’t one of his classmates- it’s probably bad that he was surprised. The motif had something to do with bulls. His head was covered in a bull shaped helmet with hoove styled boots. His clothes were a bright red suit bedazzled with gold dots. It reminded Adrien of a matador strangely.

When he charged at Adrien it was his feline reflexes and honed battle instincts that saved him. He ducked into a nearby classroom. The windows weren’t open. Adrien took the quickest route of just hurling a seat at the glass to make a cavity. 

He curled up to launch himself to the ground. He turned to see if the Akuma was pursuing only to have his fears realized. The bull wasn’t even fazed by glass grazing him as he leapt towards his prey. He did feel a yoyo flying through to air to flick him in the head, though. He also went crashing to his right when Ladybug came flying through the air towards her yoyo to kick him.

The spotted heroine floated gently to the ground- her wings were outstretched like a butterfly. She gave him a pointed wink.

“Let’s get you out of here,” she moved to scoop him up but Adrien backed away. 

“No!” 

Ladybug, puzzled, tried to just force the issue. He wasn’t in his suit but Adrien was still agile enough to dodge his partner’s thoughtless attempts to grab him. She came to a stop, irritated. 

“Listen here-” 

“Move!” Ladybug reacted swiftly to his warning. She jumped into a backflip with her wings stroking out from her shoulders to give her more air. The bull had swept the ground she stood on with his arm arcing out. Adrien noticed a red blanket swooshing under his arm before it blinked back out of existence. Ladybug dropped into a fighting stance where he had begun his move.

“Watch out. His power seems to be something akin to a matador. There was a cape and everything when he did that move.”

“I saw, run.” She turned her attention back to the villain. Her yoyos made themselves into propellers.

Adrien ran to where he knew the class window was. Marinette wasn’t there. It was possible that given the pandemonium that she ran to hide. Adrien was going to-

“Ah,” a gasp escaped Adrien as he felt something tighten around his waist before he was pulled away. The matador has materialized his cape whipping it where Adrien was- the brick broke clean, revealing the inside of the building.

“What part of run can’t you comprehend! Let me do my job!” Adrien had never seen Ladybug angry and he was glad. Her partner clearly knew how to scream and threaten.

“I can’t leave until I know Marinette, my friend, is okay.” 

Ladybug was visibly disarmed by this comment. She stared before shaking her head.

“Don’t worry the area was evacuated and my lucky charm will heal all damage.” Ladybug hoisted him over her shoulders without another word. She deposited him at the front of the school before going back to fight.

Chat Noir joined her not long afterwards.

The Akuma was named Matador. His power was manifesting a matador cape to use as a powerful bludgeoning whipping weapon. He was a slightly below average Akuma.

Ladybug kept her distance, firing her yoyos at him. Chat Noir took the initiative dancing around him, beating him with his batons. It was slow, but sure enough he began to tire. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir wrapped the job up clinically. Chat Noir did his usual banter with Ladybug before heading off.

“Is there any way I can put this off?” Marinette leaned back on the railings of the ceiling she sat on. 

“Why don’t you just date Adrien? Chat Noir isn’t going to be available any time soon,” Tikki said.

“My heart is with Chat Noir. He’s the only friend I ever had to stand by me the way he has; Adrien doesn’t deserve the disrespect of being a rebound.” Marinette smiled sadly. “He really showed that.”

“He called you his friend.”

“He did,” Marinette agreed. “Let’s go check on him.”

“Should you?”

“Who will know? Adrien knows how to keep his mouth shut given he’s a celebrity with the spotlight constantly on him and there’s no way he would trace me back to Marinette. I’m just a local hero following up on a foolish citizen who wanted to be brave at a battle.”

“Chat Noir better be worried his partner is fraternizing with other men,” Tikki giggled.

“I’m not the type to try to make others jealous.”

Adrien was retiring for the night. Akuma attacks had ceased possessing any novelty so his schedule was still strictly followed when possible. His photoshoots for the Gabriel Agreste summer line wrapped up some time ago.

His pillows were fluffled by the maids, and the lights were off. The room was unlit. His blue phone light was the only beacon in the darkness of the room. His head laid on his pillow as he contemplated what to do next. His eyes stared at his contact list.

Adrien needed this infatuation with Marinette to be finished. He infuriated Ladybug since she had to deal with a nosy civilian who shouldn’t have been there. If that had been him instead he probably would have just chucked the fool onto the roof.

Should he just call her to ask her out? It would be private and away from the prying eyes of certain friends.

Adrien flinched at a sudden tap. He looked around for an obvious source when it came again. His phone flashlight illuminated Ladybug knocking on his window.

“Ladybug?” He opened the window pane to let her emerge into the room.

“We talked this afternoon,” she reminded him as if he forgot to do his homework. “When you tried to play knight in shining armor.”

Adrien groaned.

“Hey you were pretty brave,” she reassured him. “You were pretty quick on your feet too. Let me tell you the obvious, any girl would love to be swept off their feet by you.” Adrien blushed before looking away. “Who is the lucky girl?”

“Someone I’m having no luck with,” he muttered.

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Something always comes up before I can make my move.” Adrien sat on his bed with Ladybug joining him. 

“You used to always nailing the landing?” Her body fell back into the bed. 

“No, this is the first girl I’ve ever. . . felt this way about.” Adrien buried his face into his hands.

“If you feel this way trying to ask her out why not take a break?”

“What do you mean?”

“This is the first time you’ve ever felt this way, right? The best relationships were built on friendships. Be this girl’s friend first. She’ll appreciate it, girls love it when boys approach them purely to spend time with them.”

“You sure?”

“What does this girl like doing with her spare time?”

“. . . “

“That’s why you should get to know her first.” Ladybug stretched. “You’ve got everything in here.” Ladybug approached the room’s flat screen TV. 

“I recently got the PS4 and Xbox Series X,” Adrien said off handedly.

“What!?” Ladybug rounded on him.

“It’s as you heard,” he responded.

“I love video games.” Ladybug fumbled for the machinery. “Let’s play.” Adrien was probably being taken advantage of, but Nino wasn’t allowed in his room yet and Chloe never wanted to play videogames.

Adrien wasn’t surprised. Ladybug did have a tomboy streak, it made sense she like video games. Marinette probably wouldn’t.


	9. It's all Downhill from here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Please comment and review.

“Only the vile main villager,” Adrien spat.

Ladybug gave him a cheeky smile.

“Marinette mains Joker, a character a decent human being would.”

“You should never compare a lady to another woman. Really Adrien? You know better.” Ladybug tongue clicked in mock disappointment.

“You’re Chat Noir’s lady not mine.” 

“You really are a businessman’s son.” Ladybug and Adrien laughed. 

“So, how are things with Marinette.”

“Pretty good.”

Adrien could almost call Marinette a friend. Nino and Alya, thankfully, went along with his plan to befriend Marinette. The quad hanged out together frequently (Adrien specifically asked to not be left alone with her). They studied, it can only be called that since Adrien forced them to do it for at least the first hour, and found the time to play videogames. Marinette beat him nearly as much as Ladybug did; she was still much sweeter about it.

“Why don’t you spend time with just her then?”

“Isn’t that close to a date?”

“Just because you are alone with a girl doesn’t make it a date.”

“Alright, sorry,” Adrien excused himself. “How are things with Chat Noir?”

“Great,” Ladybug sighed. Adrien felt a mixture of guilt and bemusement at her reaction.

“From the tape I see you two fight Akumas, banter, you shamelessly flirt, rinse and repeat.” 

“My lord fighting with me is all I need.”

“I still can’t believe you call him that,” Adrien muttered. When Ladybug called him that in front of a press coverage he stayed the hell away with twitter. He heard from Alya that, thankfully, everyone is assuming her comment indicated Chat Noir is from an old noble line.

“Do you wish for me to lavish you instead, my prince?” Ladybug leaned in close to him. His eyes locked on her.

“And game,” she said, knocking Adrien’s character off the stage.

“So,” Adrien just dropped the controller,” does Chat Noir know we are doing this?”

“My lord isn’t the jealous type.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“He doesn’t. Chat is sadly all business with me.”

“Someone has to be. It can’t be all fun.” 

“I wear spandex and the kitty wears leather, how serious can this be?”

“It would be a saturday morning cartoon,” Adrien conceded. “That is if this wasn’t all real.”

Ladybug waved his comment off. “Saturday morning cartoons were way before our time.”

“I used to watch them with my dad.”

“Really,” Ladybug turned to him. Adrien always danced around mentioning Gabriel. Marinette knew Adrien would always get uncomfortable whenever the subject came up. She always assumed he was a strict helicopter parent given the number of activities Adrien had to do.

“We would eat breakfast together while we watched it streamed on our TV. It was back when my mom was still around.”

“How’d she die?” 

“I have no idea. To this day, dad refuses to even talk about it. For all I know she could have just left us.”

“The only thing you can do is move forward then,” Ladybug said uneasily. 

Adrien just stayed silent. Ladybug coughed.

“It’s probably time for me to sleep. Later.”

Ladybug leaned out of Adrien’s window. “My lord summoned me anyway. Bye,” She glided away from his window view.

“Let’s go Plagg.”

“How’s Chat Noir going to stop Adrien from stealing Ladybug away.”

“Evening,” Ladybug said to Chat Noir as she landed to a stop in front of him.

“Hi LB,” Chat Noir replied. “Same route tonight?”

“Yes, but let's make some stops.” Chat Noir asked for elaboration. “It’s good for Paris to see it’s heroes patrolling, their minds are at ease-”

“That’s just our excuse to come out at night to do some cool tricks and flips.”

“Wouldn’t it be great for local business for the heroes to frequent it? There is this great local theater which could use more business.”

Chat Noir smiled. “Sure, it’s on me.”

Adrien Agreste was having a good day at school. Chloe and Marinette bumped into each other. His blonde friend actually apologized and Marinette told her not to worry: that shouldn’t have been possible. Nino had a booking at a disco and he was invited. Alya was being invited on the news to present her Ladybug theory.

As for himself. He was getting the holy grail.

“Spider-man would demolish Batman,” Marinette insisted.

“Batman has training in all martial arts, advanced armor that enhances his strength, a batmobile, and array of advanced gadgets.” Who knew arguing could be so fun? Especially with a girl.

“Batman is always getting new toys, it’s not fair to include them.”

“Spider-man is always getting new powers. You are actually trying to claim that Peter Parker Spider-man should have the abilities Miles Morales did just because he got bit by the same spider.”

“You are giving Batman every tool he’s ever been portrayed having so it’s only fair.”

“Batman was able to defeat Superman.”

“With prep time,” Marinette formed air quotes around the words. “Fights don’t work that way. You don’t get time to analyze and plan a strategy. Most fights are spontaneous; even if there was time Batman wouldn’t know every power Spider-man has. Spider-man would also benefit since he has time to prepare too, since we are giving Batman anything he needs can Spider-man be given the Iron-Spider suit?”

“That was a gift from Ironman he took back when Spider-man turned against him.”

“Most of Batman’s tech is from Wayne Enterprises. He can’t just order new tech at the drop of a hat.”

“Batman has a super IQ.”

“So does Spider-man.”

Adrien drew a breath. “Let’s just agree to disagree, and say it depends on the incarnation fighting.” Adrien extended a hand.

“Agreed,” Marinette shook it. “I have to go help at the bakery.”

“Nathalie needs to pick me up so we have to shelf this anyway.”

Adrien was still giddy in the limo ride. He never thought he’d have this many friends and this much fun.

Ladybug was pretty funny, even if he couldn’t handle her all the time. She made him laugh more than the movie did last night. Nino was everything he ever wanted in a bro. Alya- a great female friend who’s also his bro’s girlfriend. Marinette was the perfect crush and friend a man could ask for.

“Where am I modelling today?” 

“You aren’t,” Nathalie said from her seat next to the driving Gorilla. “You’re father needs to speak to you.”

“. . . why?” He asked in a strangled whisper. Nathalie didn’t respond.

“Adrien,” his father regarded him when he walked into his office. 

Adrien felt more like he was visiting the principal than his own dad. Hell, seeing the principal was warmer than this. His father was looking at him like an exhibit in a zoo enclosure.

“You will be enrolled into a prestigious school in London,” Gabriel simply stated. “Paris has become too dangerous on account of the constant Akuma attacks. My plans for you to study in London will be accelerated. Nathalie shall fill you in on the relocation schedule.”

“I’m leaving Paris,” Adrien repeated in shock.

“Yes, ask Nathalie for further details.” Gabriel retrieved his gaze from him, giving it to some documents instead: Adrien would realize this was what succeeded in infuriating him upon later reflection.

“Look at me!!” Gabriel’s eyes squinted in displeasure, he eyed his son calmly.

“I’m not leaving Paris,” Adrien said in a low growl. “You should have discussed this with me.”

“Why,” Gabriel asked him as if he was a child. “As your father it is my duty to provide you the safest environment possible. Paris isn’t safe, I can’t let you stay here when I have other options. Most children would be thrilled at the opportunity to go study abroad in a foreign city.”

“Most children don’t have fathers who are determined to control every little aspect of their lives. Most children don’t have a father who keeps them locked up at home with only approved company. Most children don’t have fathers who view them as assets.” Adrien’s nails were drawing blood.

“Doesn’t your generation have this wonderful tool called the internet,” Gabriel asked rhetorically. “Contacts can be maintained digitally with your newfound companions.”

“It wouldn’t be the same. Ladybug and Chat Noir repair the damage of every Akuma attack, there is no need for me to leave with them as our guardians.”

“Oh please,” Gabriel retorted. “It’s only a matter of time before those fools fail us.”

“I don’t want to leave, especially since I had no input on this decision.”

“It wasn’t your decision to make. Your very existence is financed by me. Everything you enjoyed is derived from my money, you get no choice.” Heat started to build on Gabriel’s countenance. 

“Being in this house hasn’t been enjoyable for me since mom died,” Adrien spat. “A death you still refuse to tell me about. This is the city she loved, I won’t leave it.”

“You. Will.” Gabriel locked Adrien with a stare. 

Adrien felt his hands twitch. 

“No. I. Won’t.”

“Don’t be a-”

“When did you ever let me be a child?”

“If you want to be allowed to even call these ne'er do wells of yours you will start packing now.”

Adrien spun on his heel out of the room. His legs moved mechanically up the stairs. Plagg came out prepared. Adrien transformed into Chat Noir.

The young hero vanished from the Agreste mansion.


	10. Runaway Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me how's the story transition into it's plot is going. I thought it up after the first few initial chapters. Please comment and review (it keeps me motivated).

Adrien wished he could have kept his credit card with him, but he had to or risk being found immediately when he checked out any more money. His credit card and cell phone were left behind since both could have been used to track him. He still had his burner phone on him, Ladybug might call about Adrien’s disappearance. After he made a large withdrawal to last him a few days, he tossed his credit card. There was no point to keeping it since even if he wasn’t tracked his father would probably just close the account.

After absconding from Agreste Manor, Adrien didn’t doubt it would be a matter of time- a few hours at most- before he was noted missing. His father would mobilize every police officer in the city to go looking for him, the local news would broadcast that he was a scared teenager who ran off in a hissy fit. Adrien had decided to take refuge in an abandoned building for the first day without coming out.

He wasn’t too worried about food. His money should be enough to sustain him for at least a week. Worse comes to worst he can just leverage his fame as Chat Noir to exploit some free food. Plagg was going to need his fix of cheese, that might be the most complicated item to get due its peculiarity. 

Rumors of Chat Noir begging food might make Ladybug ask questions he preferred not to answer. There’s no way she won’t be inquisitive after hearing Adrien dropped off the face of the earth.

Adrien had no plan going forward other than stay away. It was a childish impulse to run, but he couldn’t stay with his father. Things weren’t just going to go back to the status quo even if he did return; putting aside his ties here he needed to stay in Paris to battle Akuma.

“Hey plagg,” Adrien called out to his kwami.

“Yeah,” Plagg responded from his dozing position.

“There isn’t a secret account of some sort that any past black cats left behind, is there? Or at least anything approaching that?”

“If there was I would have spent it all on camembert by now.” Adrien felt like an idiot for asking.

Adrien Agreste has gone missing. The blonde stirred in the black night to see his phone illuminating the room with Ladybug’s text.

Adrien groaned. He was hoping to have at least one full day before having to deal with this. It wasn’t surprising, though. His father had no doubt had every single one of his classmates interrogated by now. News had to have broken of his flight.

Adrien feigned ignorance. Was he kidnapped? 

No. Was the first text. He got into a fight with his dad. He wanted to move him to London and there was a fight over it.

Adrien was surprised his father would tell that much of the truth. Granted, the story was probably embellished to make him look bratty and his father exasperated with him.

Did he run off to any of his friends? I heard he knows the Mayor’s daughter. Adrien knew the answer.

The cops checked and I looked into it myself. 

Maybe he doesn’t want to be found.

If that was true he would have gone to London. He wants to be found, that’s why he ran. 

Adrien doesn’t want to be found right now. 

It occurred to him that Chat Noir was just learning about Ladybug’s connection to this model.

We aren’t trained to do anything in this manner. I don’t know why you want to do anything about this case other than it being so high profile but I don’t see how we could even find him.

I know. It’s just that I visit Adrien sometimes.

He interfered when we fought that matador akuma

I’ll keep looking. If you can’t then I understand.

Adrien squinted at the letters. Maybe you should take a break. I’m not opposed to doing something but our authority is on akuma attacks. Many people disappear each day in Paris. We aren’t equipped to help, but he is your friend. I’ll come help you search. 

Where are you? Ladybug named the street she was on.

“You were visiting Adrien in the middle of night? Did I get replaced,” Adrien quipped as he landed before her. Ladybug wasn’t smiling.

“I should have been more encouraging. It was obvious he was having problems with his dad,” Ladybug said.

“There was no way for you to know what was going to happen. Did his dad suddenly tell him he was moving?”

“Yeah, the story the news, and police gave was that he came home and his dad dropped this on him immediately. They had a fight and he ran off.”

“This is important to you so it’s important to me. It’s good Adrien knows people are looking for him, but we don’t be surprised if we don’t find him tonight.”

“We’ll still have to try,” Ladybug insisted.

Chat Noir helped Ladybug search Paris in what he knew would be a meaningless search. They went around any place they heard Adrien liked to frequent. The police officers gave them tips on where they had looked but no luck.

Chat Noir managed to convince Ladybug to pause her search when the sun broke; he promised her they would search again the next night, they could use the time to think of more leads.

“We have to do this quickly,” Adrien informed Plagg. His face was obscured by a hood. “I have to assume my father will immediately hear about this.”

“You humans complicate everything with your technology.”

He inserted a quarter into the payphone before dialing.

“Nino it’s me-”

“Are you okay!?” Adrien could tell Nino hadn’t been sleeping. 

“I’m fine,” Adrien reassured his friend. “How is everyone.”

“The cops came by and told us what happened. Everyone is looking for you.”

“Tell everyone I’m fine,” Adrien said. “I wish I could stay on the line longer but I need to go before I’m spotted. Don’t worry; I’m not sleeping on a street corner or starving.”

“Can’t you stay on the line a little longer?”

“And risk my dad finding me?” Adrien asked him rhetorically. “Don’t feel obligated to hide this from the police; feel free to tell them.”

“What are you going to do? Your dad is a dick for putting you through this but are you really going to stay on the run?”

“Not forever, just for now.”

“I think we should kill your dad,” Nino said seriously.

“You’d have to fight the Gorilla,” Adrien pointed out.

Nino sighed. “Such a big man could beat me up and I couldn’t beat up such a cool dude.”

“I’m going.”

“Stay safe,” Nino told him before the call ended. 

“This really can’t go on forever.” 

“I just need this to go on for right now, Plagg.”

Adrien had to come out of hiding after two days. He subconsciously hoped to remain hidden for a week, but matter complicated those plans. Namely one Ladybug searching Paris nonstop.

Chat Noir couldn’t break Ladybug from her search. She only stopped for school, Akuma attacks, and barely two hours of rest each night. He couldn’t snap her back into her usual humor.

“His friend said he was fine.”

“I just need to make sure.”

“Was he really that good of a friend?”

“It’s not that,” Ladybug admitted. Chat Noir’s face scrunched up in confusion. 

“I’ve been traipsing around all this time like this is a game. Being Ladybug had been an escape from my daily life, a way to forget all my troubles. I’m wondering if that was a selfish way for me to see things; maybe if I had been a more altruistic hero I could have helped Adrien.”

“Don’t think that way,” Chat Noir told her. “You come up with the plans to save the day. Your jokes are a coping mechanism for all of us. Paris needs you. I need you.”

“So did Adrien,” she whispered. 

Chat Noir had suggested they split up the neighborhoods they would search. She was so focused on searching that when Adrien stood in the open ready to be found she momentarily overlooked him. Then he had a yoyo wrapped around his body more times then he could count before he was pulled in.

“There you are,” Ladybug exhaled in relief. “I’m sorry for everything you had to go through.”

Adrien wrapped his arms around Ladybug. They stood on the roof in shared comfort in silence.

“You aren’t going back to your sperm donor,” Ladybug said derisively. 

“Where else can I go?”

“Have you forgotten you know the mayor’s daughter and one of Paris’s superheroes.”

She leaned into his ear. “Chloe’s pissed you didn’t call her.”


	11. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who has made it this far?

Chloe was indeed very pissed he didn’t call her.

“You couldn’t have called me too? I understand Nino but I was worried sick about you too. I was going to pay some PIs to go look for you if Ladybug hadn’t found you.”

“Nino didn’t have as many years of resentment bottled up towards my father that you do.”

Chloe said nothing. They distracted themselves with the anime Adrien had put on while they sat in the bed of his room. His hotel room wasn’t lacking in any of the amenities his privileged upbringing had accustomed him to; his meals were all prepared for him. It was hard to believe he was a runaway. 

“When does dear old dad find out?”

“Probably about now,” Chloe responded.

“Yeah, sorry for forcing you to make your dad turn against his long time ally.” Adrien knew the two men weren’t friends.

Chloe scoffed. “As you know he can never say no to his dearest princess, especially when she has one of Paris’s heroes as her champions.”

Ladybug and Chloe were a dangerous combination he prayed to God he was never on the wrong end of. When Ladybug met them up with Chloe it wasn’t long before he was set up with the room. Mayor Bourgeoise came by to protest to Chloe that they couldn't host a runaway. Chloe proceeded to hotly recite precedent for teenagers separating themselves from their parents while Ladybug loomed over her shoulder like a chained dog. 

“If my father calls you don’t answer,” Adrien told her.

“That ass hole-”

“I should be able to stand up to him,” Adrien cut in. “For years I just nodded my head along to whatever he wanted. I want to know I could have faced him if I didn’t wait for him to take things this far.”

“Fine,” Chloe acquiesced. “But if he doesn’t leave when you ask then it’s fair game to sock him.”

“He won’t go that far. Father might not respect me but he doesn’t want the bad PR of himself being escorted away.”

“He really does just view you as living property,” Chloe lamented.

Neither blonde spoke; the mediocre school romance filled the void. A knock on the window stole their dwindling attention from the show. Ladybug was tapping on the window to be allowed in like a stray cat; a backpack was strapped around her right shoulder. Her face was pressed against the window with a grin.

“I brought gifts,” Ladybug declared after landing in the room. “Here you go.” Ladybug tossed the backpack at Adrien.

“Are these my things?” Adrien scanned the contents to confirm it was his phone along with other personal possessions and effects. “How did you get permission to get these?”

“Gabriel might not know I was in his house; but he never has so what’s different?”

“True,” Adrien muttered. He set the rest of his things aside intent to go through them later. His phone was littered with missing texts and calls from the class and friends. 

“It seems everyone tried to find me,” Adrien remarked soft spoken.

“We all missed you,” Chloe replied, her voice a low whisper.

“You brought the boy back,” Sabine had a smile on her face as she saw her daughter lead Adrien inside the bakery. 

“Sorry I worried all of you,” Adrien apologized sheepishly.

Nino had regaled him of what the Dupain-Chengs had been doing during his flight. Marinette was apparently out looking for him the hardest (almost as much as Nino himself, Alya would add that part in herself). The bakery had been giving people posters of him during his absence in hopes any of them could identify him.

“We are just happy to know you don’t have to stay with your so-called father anymore.” Tom’s smile was almost as massive as his frame. “If you had stopped by we would have hid you with no questions asked.”

“I didn’t want to involve you with a petty father-son fight,” Adrien said. 

“Your father didn’t want to listen to you and expected you to be obedient at all times,” Sabine explained. “There isn’t anything petty about wanting to be free from that.”

“Thank you,” Adrien said embarrassed.

“Thank us after dinner.”

“Marinette,” Adrien turned to her. “Wouldn’t I be overstepping by doing that? I came to thank you for all you’ve done, not have you do more.”

“Boy, we aren’t letting you go until you are positively stuffed.” Tom took a warning tone.

“Do you want to fight that man,” Marinette pointed at her father’s hulking frame.

“What are we having?”

Dinner with the Dupain-Chengs recurred often enough for it to be considered routine. Adrien went back to school to the embrace of all his classmates.

His modelling session obviously stopped; Adrien wasn’t opposed to that. His fencing and chinese instructors independently reached out to him offering to keep the lessons going, his father had paid them in advance for several months. Adrien did resume his lessons with them, albeit he reduced the frequency.

There wasn’t a single thing in his life he wasn’t satisfied with. His friends made school feel warm and welcoming. Marinette and her parents welcomed him to the bakery whenever he wanted to know what a warm family meal felt like. Chloe promised him room and board at the hotel for as long as he wanted. Nothing was going wrong.

Except his father never contacted him.

Adrien had bracing himself for the inevitable confrontation. He fully expected Gabriel to show up completely livid to get him back under his thrall. Only it seemed like Gabriel lost all interest in him whatsoever. Nathalie didn’t even reach out; Adrien was strangely melancholic about that aspect.

The closest he had gotten to contact from his old life came when he was walking home one day; it was just when he had accepted he wouldn’t hear from his father anytime in the foreseeable future. He had decided to walk home from school alone- Nino and Alya were off on a date, and Marinette was helping the knitting club with some big club project- when he spotted a familiar black limousine in traffic. It was a common model and he didn’t catch the license plate but he could have sworn he rode it in every day since he was nine.

The glass was blackened to obscure the driver. Adrien’s connection with the Black Cat miraculous had gifted him with heightened feline senses, primarily heightened eyesight. Adrien would swear he saw the image of a massive man with gorilla -like sideburns; he couldn’t verify anything before the vehicle was swept away by traffic. Adrien crept into his room to see it was decorated with his old bedding, posters, wall paper, and everything he had been forced to leave at Agreste Manor.

The blonde former model was okay if this was how things stayed. Hopefully Gabriel realized his error and was just giving his son time to move on; in the news there was no acknowledgement to reporters Adrien had chosen to stay away or ever even existed. Nathalie and the Gorilla would be missed by him but they were ultimately Gabriel’s employees who would have executed his orders no matter how they distressed him. 

This was for the best. This should be normal.

Chat Noir and Ladybug had reverted back to their predefined roles. Chat Noir was dodging Ladybug’s ridiculous flirting while making sure her plans always succeeded. Adrien Agreste didn’t have to spend hours behind a camera and could have fun with friends. Chat Noir was respected by Paris and (unduly) revered by his partner. Adrien Agreste was always counting down the hours until the next dinner with the Dupain-Chengs.

Hawkmoth had even slowed down his campaign of terror. 

Adrien knew it was selfish to be so content given a terrorist was still on the loose. He still never wanted these days to end.

“Father, I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me.” Adrien resigned himself when he finally received the call.

“How could I, son?”

Maybe since you never talk to me when you don’t have a use for me.

“I’m not coming home,” Adrien brusquely declared.

“I didn’t call to ask you that.”

“Did you call to threaten me then?” Adrien had fully expected his father to raise his voice. That was always what that man did whenever he met opposition- destroy it absolutely.

“No, to inform you.”

“Just get to the point,” Adrien sighed.

“Sabine Dupain-Cheng was born in China. Tom Dupain-Cheng met her on a sabbatical for his degree in the culinary arts. He and Sabine wed in Guangdong province before moving back to Paris.”

“Great, you cyber stalked the Dupain-Chengs.”

“French citizenship can be awarded to those who marry French citizens, but the paperwork needs to be filed. Sabine never did.”

Adrien’s stomach dropped. Gabriel wouldn’t- he wouldn’t?

“If you have a married woman with a family deported you will be inundated with allegations of racism and your business will lose money due the controversy! I will personally help the Dupain-Chengs sue you for every penny you have; I will help them get a lawyer to fight this.” 

“That wouldn’t be any help ultimately to the Dupain-Chengs. A family you are more concerned about than the Agreste brand; and no matter the lawyer they managed to get it wouldn’t change the fact Sabine Dupain-Cheng presence in this country is a violation,” Gabriel explained to Adrien like he was a child in kindergarten. “Your heart was always too big. You wouldn’t let people suffer, regardless if they were connected to a school crush.”

“I admit I erred on this occasion. My demands of you were unreasonable and the control I tried to put you under was untenable. We can still salvage things between us as men. We are the only family we have left.” There was a time when Adrien believed that.

“Now I would hope you remember enough about business to remember my lessons on negotiation, my son. We are going to get things back to the way they should be.”

“. . . Let’s begin.”

The hardest part wasn’t returning to Agreste Manor. His father learned from this incident there is only so far he could push with his son, his voyeur into school hadn’t zapped any rebelliousness he had in him. A contract was in the process of being drafted up- his father obviously dropped any plans on relocating him- that guaranteed Gabriel would respect his choices. He was to be treated completely like an employee- which Adrien always felt like he was- given his choices on the hours he modeled, where he would go would need his verification and he had to be notified two weeks in advance, and he was guaranteed an allowance apart from his already established inheritance from his mother and years of modelling.

The hard part was explaining to the Dupain-Chengs what happened.

He waited until after the next dinner he was invited to (to savor the last one).

Sabine was crying after Adrien revealed what had happened. Marinette was struggling to hold back tears while she consoled her mother. Tom’s countenance snarled in barely contained rage.

“You won’t ever see me again,” Adrien tried to duck his head out of the room. He bumpled into firm muscle on the way to the door. Tom stared down on him, his breathing ragged.

“We aren’t mad at you,” Tom reassured him, struggling to maintain the veneer of control. “You are always welcomed here.” The big man opened the door himself.

“Do not try and lay a hand on Agreste,” Sabine choked through sobs.

Marinette looked at Tom in horror. “How would that make anything better?”

“This is all my fault,” Tom thickly exhaled. “I always knew we should have applied for Sabine’s citizenship but I always put it off.”

“N-No,” Sabine insisted. “It was my citizenship; it was my responsibility. Go upstairs and stay there. Don’t make things worse, please.”

Toms stomped up the stairs, each step abused the wooden flooring. Adrien felt afraid of Tom Dupain-Cheng for the first time he knew him. He hated what Gabriel did, but it was to his good fortune he had the Gorilla to protect him from an angry husband.

Marinette locked eyes with him. She gave him a look that was sympathetic but reluctantly asking him to leave.

Adrien had to pack to go back to the Manor, anyway. Chloe had no interest in helping since she disapproved of the whole debacle. The mayor’s daughter had all but begged him to fight this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment.


	12. A husband's rage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter is as heart-wrenching as I envisioned.

Adrien Agreste’s return to Agreste manor was quiet and dismal. He marched back into his room with Nino and Alya behind him serving as his pallbearers; his downcasted stance was noted by his worried friends. His room was perfectly preserved, an empty tomb scrubbed of Adrien’s mark. The Gorilla had escorted the trio but the staff of Agreste Manor was giving them a wide berth- Adrien hadn’t even seen Nathalie.

“Are you really sure you are okay with this?” Nino set down Adrien’s bags on the bed. 

“I’m not okay with dragging Sabine into conflict with my father.”

“After she gets her citizenship approved we could always just hide you again,” Alya offered.

“No,” Adrien sighed. “There has to be a happy middle ground between absolutely obeying my father and avoiding him like the plague. We have a contract being hashed out to set boundaries so this doesn’t happen again.”

“Maybe part of me doesn’t want to completely give up on my father,” Adrien mused.

“I can understand that,” Alya conceded. “But if he ever tries anything I will knock him out.” The ferocity in Alya’s eyes left no one doubting her statement. 

“Thanks for coming with me. Chloe is mad I didn’t fight this and I already traumatized Marinette by putting her mom in the line of fire.”

“Chloe will get over this, man.” Nino rested a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “She’s probably more mad at herself for not being able to do anything right now.”

“And Marinette is resilient,” Alya added. “Don’t stay away from her. Her family is just feeling guilty they let themselves be used against you.”

“I’m the only one who should feel guilty-”

“No!” Adrien flinched back from Alya’s abrupt shout. “No one should feel guilty. That’s exactly what your douchebag sperm donor wants, everyone to be too downtrodden to have the gull to act against him again. So don’t give it to him.”

“. . . you’re right.” Adrien dug through the bags on his bed. “What to play switch and binge some movies? We might as well take advantage of the cinema sized screens and lightning fast internet of this wasteland.” 

“Yeah bro,” Nino replied with a smirk. Alya crossed her arms playfully behind him.

  
  
  


The friends enjoyed their time together in peace. Agreste staff didn’t bother them and his father was content to have him back so saw no need to speak to him. He did step out to go to the bathroom to find a cart containing snacks by the door. He was too tired to even care who left it and for what end.

Alya was the first to go to babysit her younger siblings. Nino willingly made the effort to stay to keep Adrien company. The blonde didn’t doubt he would try sleeping over. Adrien, reluctantly, ended their fun and bid him goodbye- he wanted some time alone and didn’t want Nino staying over on these terms. 

Plagg hovered over his shoulders when they were alone.

“On the bright side this place’s camembert was better than the hotel’s.”

“Is that all you can think about?”

“That and the fact the big man is going to be an Akuma soon,” Plagg shrugged. He lazily fetched himself some cheese from the bags.

“The initial shock is gone,” Adrien weakly protested. 

“Despite what they tell you, time doesn’t heal all wounds. Time can do the opposite. A wound can fester and become infected, the flesh can scar, and function might never return to shattered limbs.”

Adrien began to text Marinette.

  
  
  


The Dupain-Cheng women were in grief. Sabine and Marinette were still determined to remain functional. They had decided to keep themselves busy with her citizenship application. The bakery had closed so they could focus on that exact issue; they weren’t afraid Tom might have frightened customers away for good with his current disposition. 

Marinette was helping her older mother surf through the French government’s website, looking for the relevant information. It wasn’t too difficult to find, they merely had to print out the proper forms and go from there.

The aspiring designer found her father in a corner on her way to the printer. The large man looked like a grizzly in a state of tense rest. Marinette approached her dad softly.

“Papa,” Marinette called. “We are going to start filling out some forms. Could you help us? You should be able to verify information regarding the marriage.”

Tom didn’t turn around. “When we got married I had studied for days. How the customs work for a traditional chinese wedding, I had practiced the characters for my name in chinese, and even started working on chinese scripts for my vows.”

“Do you want to know what your mother thought of that?”

“. . . what?” Marinette tersely asked.

“It was unnecessary. She said I spoke the most broken chinese she ever heard in her life,” Tom chuckled darkly. “But she also insisted she was going to follow me, into my customs and culture. We got the marriage certificate signed at a local government ministry but had a traditional western wedding. We flew your grandmother in for the ceremony.”

“My father didn’t want to come, of course.” Tom said as an afterthought.

“I swore your mother was under my eternal protection. Her uncle joked my arms were the safest for any woman to ever be wrapped around.” Tom fell silent.

“Guess that really was a joke,” Tom spat bitterly.

“Papa, you’d be arrested if you did anything to Gabriel,” Marinette reasoned. “Mother would then, naturally, be deported and grandma would be forced to look after me while she watched her son be locked away.” Marinette’s eyes became watery.

“There is one way for me to give  _ Agreste _ exactly what he deserves with no consequences.”

Marinette didn’t want to know but knew she had to stop whatever dark thought was forming in her father’s head. Tom turned to see horror grip his daughter.

“Remember when we went butterfly hunting out in the country,” Tom gently stroked the ultraviolet butterfly in his hand. “You were so cute waving that giant net around.”

Marinette cautiously took a step forward. Tom’s eyes met hers in reassurance.

“I am the man of this house. I will protect you and your mother.”

Marinette rushed forward. “PA-”

A loud flash knocked her back. The entire world around her vanished into darkness, and she felt herself floating freely in space. Her mind was too lost to form any conscious thought.

She finally found her way back only to receive aching pain in her skull. She was laid out in front of the sofa with Sabine hovering over her. Her mother couldn’t hold it in any more and tears were streaming down her face.

“I’m fine-”

Sabine held close and tight. “Stay here,” she whispered. “I’m going to make sure your father doesn’t do anything he will regret over that asshole.”

“Your grandma was already on her way here, she’ll watch over you.” Sabine reluctantly let her go before running out of the bakery to chase after Tom.

Tikki emerged. 

“We have to stop this.”

“Obviously-” A ring broke out.

“Can I stop being interrupted for five minutes!”

It was a text from Adrien.

_ Is Tom okay? _

Marinette just laughed. She shook her head afterwards and called upon Tikki to transform. They leapt out of the hole Tom left in a wall to follow his trail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I succeed? Comment below.


	13. The Villain Who Never Fights

The Akuma alert Adrien received was enough for him to know Tom wasn’t fine and Marinette wasn’t going to respond soon. He also knew where Tom would be heading.

The feline hero swept down the roads leading to the Dupain Cheng Bakery from Agreste Manor. 

The streets were cleared of people who had received word of the attack and were waiting for the heroes to solve the problem; Ladybug can restore all damage done but nobody wants the pain of trauma of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“This way,” Ladybug called out to him. She was buzzing in the air some distance off. “His target is Gabriel Agreste.”

“Did Chloe tell you what’s happening?” They were in contact but Adrien hadn’t spoken to Ladybug for quite some time. She had faded away from Adrien’s life after he moved, content to give him time with civilian friends who wouldn’t make him a target for Hawk Moth. He was still surprised Chloe managed to keep just how intimate they were secret; her father definitely wasn’t going to oppose his daughter or let it slip he was intimidated by two teenage girls.

“No, his wife.” She pointed to the figure of Sabine Dupain-Cheng hiding between buildings looking increasingly alarmed. “Apparently Adrien’s Mother-Fucker,” Ladybug took a calming breath,” threatened to deport the mother of one of Adrien’s friends if he didn’t go home.”

“We still can’t let him murder Gabriel. No matter how sympathetic the crime is.” Adrien, guiltily, didn’t want his father to die. Gabriel was still his father.

“I know,” she said bitterly. “His powers seem to be ripped off from Green Lantern. Though, given how terrible the movie was I think Warner Bros will be too embarrassed to sue.” 

“It’s in his wedding ring?”

“We just got to get close to his big meaty fist,” Ladybug grimaced.

Chat Noir frowned too. Tom Dupain-Cheng was a gentle man but he was still a big man- built out of muscle on a giant frame. Adrien knew if he ever broke Marinette’s heart his body would be just as broken in short order. Fighting Tom with the powers of an Akuma? Over his prickish Father? Given how much Tom had done for him?

It was going to be a hard fight- physically and mentally.

“Let’s face him.”

Tom Dupain-Cheng clearly had the look of a hero; which is probably what he thought he was- maybe he was right. His pants were the same color as the emerald cape on his shoulders; His shirt was a deep crimson red. The darkest color on him was the black outline of his domino mask. His golden ring glowed green with power.

“Mr Dupain-Cheng please stop. I heard what happened to your family but murdering a man is wrong and even if it wasn’t this is disproportionate. It would make you worse than the man who threatened your wife.”

“The man who threatened my wife is a villain,” Tom grumbled. 

“I am the Ring Bearer- the only one who can serve him the justice due.”

A green hammer materialized into his hands. 

“Nothing will keep me from stomping out threats to my family,” Tom pronounced each word deliberately. “Now don’t try to stop me.”

Adrien steadied himself. Chat Noir propelled himself towards the roof linings. He skidded across each one. Ladybug flips into the air with his wings beating to glide her forward. Chat Noir’s body felt more and more flexible with each step, each twist, and every jump.

The Ring Bearer looked torn between defending against a flitting Ladybug and an advancing Chat Noir, whose keen movements left him unpredictable. Tom’s indecision landed his focus on Ladybug whose moves resembled a wasp rather than a Ladybug. Her spinning yoyos left a ranged attack too probable. 

A second unwatched was all Chat Noir needed. He flung himself in the air with so much grace that it resembled flight. His hands and feet broke his fall a feet short of the Ring Bearer. Akuma hastily tried to bludgeon him with the hammer construct but Chat Noir twisted out of the way.

Chat Noir gripped the staff of the hammer to pull himself towards Ring Bearer. The ball of his foot came down on the Ring Bearer’s shoulders; the man quickly tried to shrug him off.

The hero applied his powers to the construct before letting himself move back.

“That was a waste,” Ring Bearer commented. After a few moments a pair of rapiers were in his hand. 

Chat Noir quickly dodged the swords raining down upon him. The blades briefly scraped his chest leaving the faintest cut. 

Ring Bearer turned to bat away two incoming yoyos. Ladybug fired upon him repeatedly, every time her yoyos were batted away she flicked her wrist to get them in firing position again.

The villain eventually knocked the projectiles off to the sides. He then charged the spotted heroine before she could requip. A quick elbow stopped Chat Noir from interrupting his stampede. 

Ladybug leapt up into the air but Ring Bearer seized the returning string. He yanked Ladybug back down to earth. 

“Don’t kill her! Imagine if she was Marinette!” 

The voice of Sabine paused Ring Bearer long enough for Ladybug to slip away.

“His powers pretty much nullify anything I can do to them,” Chat Noir said to Ladybug. She sidled up to him with her fists around her weapons. “We aren’t going to force a distressed wife to help us again,” Chat Noir declared.

“We won’t need to.” Ladybug whispered her plan to him. “Give me a few minutes to set everything up and then I’ll pass the baton.”

Chat Noir darted toward Ring Bearer with his batons drawn. The two danced around each other. Ring Bearer with his size and blades on the offensive while Chat Noir blocked and dodged.

The occasional opening in Ring Bearer’s stance gave Chat Noir confidence to strike at his torso and ribs. Countless Akuma battles had forged Chat Noir into a capable fighter. His rage might have given him strength but Ring Bearer did not have focus.

“The man who gave you this power is just as bad as Gabriel. There’s practically no difference.” Chat Noir blocked a swipe. The outline of the Akuma mask appeared on Ring Bearer’s face to keep him in his sway.

“Hawk Moth might be trash but he’s done nothing to me. Gabriel is the one I’m after. He’s used his shrewd power against my family for the last time.” 

Chat Noir knew there was no breaking through but he had to try.

The two clashed again. Ring Bearer might have appeared to be stronger but Chat Noir’s momentum and enchanted strength allowed him to lock pace. Batons and blades struggled, each vying to advance an inch, kept prisoner in place.

Chat Noir kicked Ring Bearer. The Akuma almost dropped to the knew, the hero’s foot had knocked the wind out of him. Chat Noir didn’t give him a moment to recover.

He barragged him with endless windmill strikes from his batons. Ring Bearer finally fell to his knees as Chat Noir beat him; for a moment Chat Noir considered forcing his ring off himself.

A flash precipitated searing heat. Chat Noir flinched back, his nerves electrified. Green flames licked his body. Chat clumsily fell to the ground, rolling away and trying to stop his immolation.

He backed up against a cafe. Ring Bearer loomed over him holding a hose connected to a sack on his back.

“When you work with coal flame ovens, a young man gets curious enough to fool around some old parts with his soon to be wife’s uncle; they manage to build a flamethrower powered by old oven gas.” He cocked the hose and it spewed flames again.

Chat Noir dodged the stream of green coming at him; it came to ground in the shape of flowers. The hero had one more cataclysm left before he had to recharge. Ladybug shouldn’t inherit this problem.

Ladybug’s imagination was infectious; Chat Noir quickly raided a small grocery. He came back out holding a carton he used his claws to create a cavity. Ring Bearer paid no mind to what he was doing; he prepared to fire his hose again.

Chat Noir waited for the hose to start up before he lobbed the container at it. The stream swallowed the torn plastic.

Chat Noir’s anticipation kept him moving. The container of paint thinner blossomed into an orange ball; connected to the green stream the image would be saved for it’s momentary beauty in Adrien’s mind. The heated plastic shot out in all directions, Chat Noir’s feline instinct kept him aware.

The Ring Bearer wasn’t as reactive. Shrapnel of heated plastic seared his face. Chat Noir grabbed as much of the flame thrower as he could and vaporized it. He leapt back when a recovered Ring Bearer tried to grab him. The skin on his lower jaw was melted off.

“Celebrating without me!” Ladybug coming in relieved Chat Noir.

“Your turn.” Chat Noir exited the battle as Ladybug entered.

  
  
  


Sabine had never once regretted leaving her homeland for France with Tom. Her adoptive country was her dream. It was a land without an oppressive regime breathing down on you with every breath. 

Culture and heritage was valued here. When she was a youth she still remembers the residual of the Cultural Revolution smashing thousands of years of traditions.

Tom was the most gentle man she had ever met. He was nothing but loving to her in their entire time together. He tried (and failed) to learn Chinese to speak to her.

Marinette was everything she ever wanted in a daughter: smart, kind, and creative. There wasn’t a single day when Sabine was overjoyed to be her mother.

This was the worst day of her life.

Gabriel Agreste dragged Adrien, that sweet boy, back because of a single oversight on her part.

Now her gentle husband was rampaging through the streets, fighting the heroes.

As she watched Chat Noir flee and Ladybug prepare to fight, Sabine prayed to every god she ever heard of for everything to be fixed.

  
  
  


Ladybug came in hot. Her wings formed nothing but after-images as they kept her afloat. When her fath- Ring Bearer came in with a newly formed gigantic roller pin and cheese grater she ducked out of the way. The swing of the roller pin missed her and fell a nearby tree. 

Ladybug leaned back into the air onto the roof tops. The Ring Bearer was tired of the heroes’ maneuvers and leapt up to follow; the impact of his weight left Ladybug wondering how the roof was supporting him. 

His cheese grater swung in the air like a bell looking for parishioners. The construct looked like it would peel off skin if it hit her; she was spinning her yoyos as a shield. The cheese grater and her yoyos lit sparks when they met.

Ladybug dropped to her, flight wasn’t nimble enough. The Ring Bearer lunged for her but missed the tackle. His hand didn’t miss her leg in her backflip, however.

Ring Bearer shot her at the pavement; Ladybug left a crater behind.

The heroine staggered to her feet.

“He’s here,” Ladybug gasped.

Ring Bearer scanned to see what surprised Ladybug. His blood boiled. A long black limousine was passing by- blocked by debris Ring Bearer had left in his earlier fight with Ladybug- looking for an escape. On the passenger side was the tell tale silhouette of Gabriel Agreste.

The Akuma tore through the air for the vehicle; he was there in barely a breath. His hand clenched the handle to find it was unlocked. His enraged mind didn’t care beyond knowing he had found an entrance. 

The door flung open; Ring Bearer’s obsession overtook him. His hands went straight for the neck of the man who had harmed his wife. The first thing he felt was rigid plastic and clay.

Ring Bearer blinked in confusion. 

“This isn’t your ride friend.” The chauffeur tipped his hat to reveal Chat Noir clad in a driver’s attire. 

Chat Noir sprayed a bottle of mace right into his open eyes. 

Before he could scream Ring Bearer felt two hands push him further into the car. When his body tripped into the seat he felt himself stick into place. A line of string with a cylinder attack wrapped around his neck.

Trapped, pin, and stuck in a confined space Ring Bearer struggled. Ladybug’s superstrength managed to overpower him given he was in too much of an awkward position to properly resist. 

Chat Noir’s quick fingers manage to pry the ring off. Ring Bear attempted to snatch it back, but Chat Noir fell out of the driver’s door.

The ring was crushed into dust in Chat Noir’s hand.

“You know the drill,” Chat Noir said to Ladybug.

After one miraculous cure everything and everyone was fixed.

Sabine ran out to her recovered husband.

“I’m sorry,” Tom sobbed into Sabine’s arm. His girth suffocating Sabine, who surprisingly held him up.

“It’s okay,” Sabine reassured. “It’s all going to be okay, I promise.”

Chat Noir and Ladybug wanted to believe that.

They quietly left the married couple to their grief. They each had their own to tend to. Grief made even rawer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment.


	14. Every End is a Beginning

Marinette Dupain-Cheng switched awake. Tikki zipped to hide in her night dress.

She rolled off her bed onto her feet. A large thud from her balcony caught her attention. It was unlikely to be a raccoon or pigeon, the sound was too large for that to be the case. A stray cat would have been near silent with its padded feet. Anything else would have been undetectable.

Marinette’s mind instantly categorized the man she saw standing on her balcony through the glass window. 

“Chat Noir!?” Marinette swung the door open in excitement.

Chat Noir looked perturbed at being sighted; the hero was on the brink of leaping off before he probably heard her scramble to her feet inside. He visibly recomposed himself. Tikki sensed she wasn’t necessary and phased away while Chat Noir was drawing himself up.

“Is it really you?” Marinette had the glee of a child on christmas morning.

“Would anyone else really run around in a leather catsuit?”

“You’d be surprised,” Marinette replied, Chat Noir shuddered.

“Did you come to check up on my dad? He’s been doing fine since you cured him, Monday. We’ve been closed so he could recover and my mom could sort out her paperwork.”

Ring Bearer revealed the depths Gabriel was willing to sink to; Marinette was most enraged that he didn’t think enough of them to make the threat directly. The press had hounded Gabriel Agreste for xenophobia, racism, and manipulating his son. In typical corporate fashion, the Agreste Brand didn’t- or couldn’t- deny the charges but they didn’t admit to them either. They just gave a bland pre written statement on tolerance, civil obedience, and the importance of family. Gabriel just went into hiding; Adrien told Nino his father sequestered himself away for  _ business _ .

Ideally, the massive press coverage should have hanged Gabriel in the court of public opinion. There would be outrage and boycotts for what he tried to do, but that’s not what happens to rich insulated men. A series of particularly dangerous Akuma took everyone’s attention off the Agreste scandal. Marinette was shocked Hawkmoth could put out so many Akumas in short succession, he would have won if he opened so aggressively. She learned why he didn’t when they dried up like the heavens after a downpour. 

That should have gotten eyes back to the Agreste case, but public conscience is short. Satin was pulling strings, because there was some massive scandal with the French PM. She probably should have kept updated but she cared more about her family’s issues. Gabriel Agreste lucked out of being held accountable.

The prick contacted them to offer reparation (with an NDA) but she personally told him to fuck off.

“Sorry, I was too busy with work to come sooner.”

“Saw the news on all the attacks.” She had the bruises too.

“Then you would also know my partner and I were involved with the Agreste case from the very beginning. We took responsibility when we looked for Adrien and you probably know that Ladybug went ahead and helped Adrien separate from his father. I’m sorry you were used as leverage under our watch.”

“Hey, you didn’t do it. You had no idea this would happen and you probably weren’t aware of this until my dad was Ring Bearer.” Marinette tried to give a reassuring smile. “It’s probably our fault for never making sure my mom was in the country legally.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” Chat Noir said.

“Only if you promise the same. We could argue who’s to blame or we could just agree that Adrien’s asshole sperm donor is to blame.” 

Marinette extended a hand. Chat Noir’s eyes widened before he clenched it delicately, probably afraid of hurting a civilian.

“It’s not anyone’s fault but if I was really a hero I could have done something.”

“By that standard heroes don’t exist.” Marinette took Chat Noir’s fist in both hands. “You tried to do something for Adrien, that’s-”

“That was Ladybug and Chloe.”

“You still helped search. Besides, looking for lost teens isn’t in your job description anyway.”

“A hero wouldn’t be concerned about that.”

“There’s an old say,” Marinette began. “He who saves one, saves the world.”

“You stopped my dad from doing something he regretted and returned him to my mom. Does that not count?” Chat Noir looked away.

He looked back at her before sighing. 

“Could you keep a secret?”

“More than you know,” Marinette said cryptically.

“Can you keep this one?”

“Of course. If I tried telling anyone you could just dismiss me as a delusional fan girl. It’s not healthy to keep things bottled up so tell me.” 

“Ladybug carries the entire team. Paris might think I make her crazy ideas work but she doesn’t really need me. If something happened to me, Ladybug would just focus and make her plans work herself. The truth is the only thing I do for her is give the luxury to act goofy, give her someone to tease.” Chat Noir couldn’t look Marinette in the eye for a single word.

“Does she always smile when she sees you?”

“Y-yes.”

“Then you're fine,” Marinette insisted.

“That’s not how-”

“If Ladybug is always happy to see you then that means she needs you around. When someone needs your companionship it doesn’t matter if the job could get done without you there. A person doesn’t need family or friends but they would be miserable without them.”

Chat Noir’s eyes scrunched up in a pain Marinette doubted she knew.

“And were you sitting around during Akuma battles?”

“No,” Chat Noir answered.

“Ladybug likes your friendship. You work hard. You are needed.”

Chat Noir’s eyes glistened, just for a moment. He looked conflicted so Marinette reached out from him. He melted into her embrace.

“Thank you,” Chat Noir whispered.

The hero reluctantly detangled. He looked like he had so much more to say. Marinette knew there was only so much she could say.

“I have contacts,” Chat Noir revealed. “Maybe I could speed up-”

“No thanks,” Marinette declined. “My family can do this together.”

Chat Noir sadly smiled. They drank the sight of one another eagerly; after an eternity they finally turned away. The black cat disappeared into the night with his ebony suit, his sunlight bright hair smothered by darkness. 

  
  
  


Gabriel was convinced no one ever changes. He was still the man who married Emilie by the banks of the Seine. He was still the man who was the first to ever hold his infant son. He was still the man who would watch Adrien and Chloe play with their friends.

It seems children certainly change. Chloe couldn’t be trusted to keep Adrien away from the wrong crowd. He’s spotted Nino in their company multiple times; strangely, it’s just been Nino lately. The Lahiffe boy seemed to be talking to her about the return to normalcy.

Chloe Bourgeois was always the spitting image of her mother, unfortunately. She was self centered, greedy, unempathetic, and destined to be eternally childish. Yet, she had her purposes. She was useful as a pawn to him. She had been convinced she would marry his son, he didn’t lie to her about that. It seemed that the magic of his miraculous was strong.

The cleansing of his magic from her rendered her a new person. She rethought her life and actively changed it.

Gabriel even saw his own blood turn against him.

Adrien failed to remember how loving his own father was to him. How he would always wait on the steps for him to come home to be put to bed, properly. He forgot what it meant to have his mother dote on him and his father protect him. 

Emilie’s passing greatly confused him. It was by a stroke of luck he found the Dupain-Cheng’s matron’s incompetence. Adrien would come to see what he did was necessary. 

Gabriel knew he was right; after he exhausted all his available butterflies to get the press to leave them alone the French PM was caught taking money. He was right and doing what he had to do for the good of his family. He had tried to make amends with the Dupain-Chengs, to get them to see that any harm wasn’t by his desires.

Gabriel needed to end this fight soon. Everyday that passes is a day where Adrien strayed away from him, a day where he drifted further from his mother’s memory.

“You are qualified for the task I need?”

“Perfectly, I assure you.”

“Let’s discuss your contract Mrs. Rossi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. I'm sorry to say there isn't going to be a sequel. This is the first long form fic I've ever been able to finish. I don't currently have the desire or talent to do a sequel. Maybe one day I will rewrite this story, but who knows. I hope I gave you all some entertainment.


End file.
